HOW  TO  PLAY 


: 


Manual 


"- 


By  J,  McGRAW 


JOHN  J.  McGRAW 
Manager  of  the  Champion  Giants. 


HOW  TO 

BASEBALL 

A    MANUAL    FOR    BOYS 


BY 

JOHN  J.  McGRAW 


THIBTT-TWO  ILLUSTRATIONS 
FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS  OF  BIG 
LEAGUE  STARS  IN  ACTUAL  PLAT 


HARPER  6*  BROTHERS  PUBLISHERS 
NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 


.,»,: 


COPYRIGHT.  1»IS.  191*.  BY  HARPER  *  BROTHERS 

PRINTED  IN  THE   UNITED   STATES  OF   AMERICA 

PUBLISHED   JUNE,    1014 

D-X 


CONTENTS 

PAGB 

FOREWORD vii 

I. — THE  CATCHER 1 

II. — THE  PITCHER — STYLE  OF  DE- 
LIVERY     18 

III. — THE  PITCHER — CONTROL  AND 

THE  CURVE  AND  FAST  BALLS  35 
IV. — THE    PITCHER  —  THE    SLOW 
BALL,  THE  SPITTER,  FREAK 
DELIVERIES,    AND    FIELDING 

THE  POSITION 48 

V.— FIRST  BASE 63 

VI. — SECOND    BASE 76 

VII. — THE  SHORTSTOP 89 

VIII.— THIRD  BASE 94 

IX.— THE  OUTFIELD 106 

X. — BATTING 114 

XI.— BASE  RUNNING 126 

XII.— TEAM  WORK  .  138 


FOREWORD 

IN  spite  of  the  popular  belief  that  ball 
players  are  born  and  not  made,  many 
are  manufactured,  or  perhaps  developed 
is  a  better  word.  In  this  series  of  lesson 
talks  on  the  various  positions  on  a  ball  club, 
I  shall  try  to  instruct  my  readers  the  same 
as  I  do  the  young  fellows  who  go  South  to 
Marlln,  Texas,  for  their  first  Spring  prac- 
tice with  the  Giants.  Only,  I  shall  go  into 
more  detail,  endeavoring  to  show  the  boy  or 
the  young  man  how  he  can  become  a  good 
ball  player  if  he  has  the  physical  ability. 

By  physical  ability  I  mean  a  certain  lithe- 
ness  of  body,  combined  with  speed.  Besides 
the  physique,  a  good  ball  player  must  have 
nerve  and  grit,  more  than  the  average  person 
suspects  is  necessary  for  the  game.  Nerve, 
speed,  and  litheness  can  all  be  developed  if 
the  reader  will  conscientiously,  systematically 
and  patiently  cultivate  these  qualities  as  he 
plays  the  game. 

I  do  not  predict  that  the  boy  or  young  man 
vii 


viii  FOREWORD 


who  reads  and  studies  this  series  of  lessons 
will  develop  into  a  Big  Leaguer,  because  there 
is  room  for  only  so  many  Big  League  ball 
players,  and  none  but  the  best  can  fill  these 
places.  Only  a  few  lawyers  or  physicians  or 
men  in  any  profession  make  big  money,  and 
they  are  the  top  notchers  in  their  trades,  the 
same  as  the  Big  Leaguer  is  in  baseball. 

But  I  do  say  that  the  boy  or  the  young 
man  who  studies  these  articles  carefully  and 
heeds  the  advice  which  I  shall  give  will  be 
a  better  ball  player  than  if  he  had  not.  I 
also  say  that,  if  he  intends  to  make  baseball 
his  profession,  he  has  a  better  chance  of  get- 
ting into  the  major  leagues  by  studying  these 
lessons  than  he  would  have  scrambling  along 
under  no  instruction  at  all  or  under  merely 
local  and  scattered  tuition. 

Besides  the  educational  angle,  these  lessons 
should  stimulate  the  boy  or  the  youth  to  play 
baseball.  It  should  make  him  healthier  and 
fitter  to  fight  life's  battles.  He  will  be  bene- 
fited by  the  exercise  and  will  get  more  en- 
joyment out  of  the  game  if  he  plays  it  well. 
If  a  reader  has  no  intention  of  playing  pro- 
fessional baseball,  these  lessons  should  induce 
him  to  lead  an  outdoor  life,  in  which  he  will 
get  lots  of  red  blood  into  his  veins.  My  pur- 


FOREWORD  ix 

pose  in  giving  this  course  of  instruction  is 
to  get  out  a  sensible  and  plain  book  on  how 
to  play  the  various  positions  in  baseball  with 
the  idea  that  perhaps  it  will  develop  the 
American  boys  and  make  them  better  men. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  try  to  make  pro- 
fessional ball  players,  although,  as  I  have  said, 
the  boy  or  the  young  man  with  that  ambition 
will  be  benefited  by  this  course  of  instruction. 
Baseball  develops  the  boy  and  makes  him 
manly.  It  gives  him  qualities  which  he  will 
need  later  along  in  life,  including  health  and 
grit,  or  "fight,"  as  ball  players  say.  There 
never  was  a  good  ball  player  or  good  citizen, 
for  that  matter,  who  was  a  quitter. 

It  is  my  intention  to  devote  at  least  one 
lesson  *to  each  position,  besides  taking  up  bat- 
ting, base  running,  training,  and  general  team 
work,  and  try  to  make  my  points  clear  with 
photographs  of  major  league  players  in  ac- 
tion. It  is  best  to  go  right  around  the  team, 
starting  with  the  position  of  catcher.  There- 
fore, let  us  consider  this  first. 


How  to  Play  Baseball 


THE  CATCHER 

THE  position  of  catcher  is  one  of  the  most 
important  on  a  baseball  club.  Grit  is 
probably  more  essential  in  a  catcher 
than  in  any  other  player — that  is,  the  physical 
courage  to  face  bare  spikes  when  a  runner 
is  sliding  into  the  plate,  and  to  get  a  foul 
tip  on  the  bare  hand  and  like  it. 

I  would  not  recommend  that  a  light  boy  try 
to  become  a  catcher  unless  he  has  other  quali- 
ties which  make  that  his  position.  There  is 
so  much  blocking  off  the  plate  to  be  done 
that  it  requires  a  fellow  of  weight,  who  can 
stand  hard  bumps,  to  do  it.  Then,  too,  a 
bigger  catcher  makes  a  better  target  for  the 
pitcher  and  is  inclined  to  give  the  latter  more 
control.  Such  a  catcher  makes  a  pitcher  look 
better  to  the  umpire,  because  he  can  handle 
the  delivery  more  easily. 

The  big  fellow  is  generally  slower  than  the 
smaller  boy,  but  speed  can  be  better  applied 

1 


;PLAY  BASEBALL 

elsewhere  on  a  ball  team  than  behind  the  bat. 
It  is  not  necessary  that  the  catcher  be  a  fast 
man  because  his  constant  crouching  position 
will  slow  him  up  after  a  time,  anyway.  But 
the  big  fellow  can  reach  all  around  and  pull 
down  balls  that  might  get  away  from  a  smaller 
backstop.  He  can  make  wide  ones  look  more 
like  strikes  and  has  a  better  chance  of  con- 
vincing the  umpire  than  the  smaller  catcher. 
It  does  not  require  so  much  effort  for  him  to 
pull  in  wide  balls,  and  he  has  not  so  many 
passed  balls  as  the  smaller  catcher.  There 
are  many  reasons  why  the  catcher  should  be 
a  bigger  man  or  boy. 

Most  boys  who  get  up  as  high  as  the  Big 
Leagues  do  not  know  what  position  they 
should  play  even  then,  so  that  youngsters  need 
not  be  convinced  they  cannot  be  good  catchers 
just  because  they  have  always  pitched  or  done 
something  else  up  to  this  time.  On  the  New 
York  Giants  at  present  are  Murray  and  Snod- 
grass,  both  of  whom  came  to  me  as  catchers. 
It  was  I  who  discovered  that  their  right  po- 
sitions were  in  the  outfield.  "Larry"  Doyle 
came  as  a  third  baseman,  and  he  is  most  valu- 
able at  second.  Therefore,  if  a  boy  is  big, 
but  lacks  speed,  I  would  recommend  that  he 
try  to  develop  into  a  catcher. 


THE   CATCHER  3 

Catching  is  a  dangerous  job,  but  most  boys 
make  the  position  more  perilous  than  it  really 
is  by  the  way  in  which  they  handle  themselves. 
The  amateur  or  beginner  is  inclined  to  get 
back  too  far  from  the  batter.  He  is  usually 
laboring  under  the  delusion  that  the  further 
he  is  from  the  bat  the  safer.  This  is  not  true. 

The  catcher  should  work  up  as  close  under 
the  bat  as  possible.  (Illustration  No.  1.) 
Catchers  are  always  injured  working  back 
from  the  bat.  The  ball  has  a  chance  to  shoot, 
if  the  batter  makes  a  foul  tip,  when  the  re- 

•  ceiver  is  too  far  away.    Up  close,  a  foul  tip 
is  not  apt  to  break  a  finger  because  there  is 
not  so  much  time  for  it  to  change  its  direction. 

Young  players  often  believe  catching  right 
up  under  the  bat  is  dangerous  because  they 
are  likely  to  be  hit  with  the  bat  when  the  bat- 
ter swings  at  the  ball.  This  is  not  so.  The 
catcher  should  work  down  beneath  the  hitter 
and  close  up. 

There  are  numerous  advantages  of  this  po- 
sition besides  the  already  mentioned  one  of 
safety. 

The  catcher,  being  close  up  under  the  bat, 

•  helps  a  pitcher.    He  is  better  on  curve  balls 

•  if  the  twirler  is  "breaking"  them  low.    If  he 
.  is  back,  he  gets  these  low  curves  in  the  dirt 


4      HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

• 

or  on  the  pickup,  and,  besides  increasing  the 
danger  of  passed  balls,  and  runners  on  the 
bases  scoring  as  a  result,  they  do  not  look  so 
good  to  the  umpire.  The  catcher  must  al- 
ways bear  in  mind  that  he  is  helping  the 
pitcher  by  making  an  impression  on  the  um- 
pire in  the  way  he  handles  the  delivery.  A 
good  catcher  will  get  a  lot  of  doubtful  strikes 
called  for  his  pitcher.  Understand,  I  am  not 
counseling  any  unfair  tactics.  If  the  catcher 
is  clever  enough  to  handle  the  ball  to  shade  the 
decisions  toward  his  pitcher,  it  is  considered 
fair  in  baseball. 

By  being  close  up  under  the  bat,  the  catcher, 
as  I  have  hinted,  is  a  better  mark  for  the 
pitcher  and  generally  gives  him  more  control. 
The  twirler  naturally  delivers  the  ball  at  the 
catcher  and  not  to  the  batter,  and  this  target 
right  behind  the  plate  is  a  big  aid  to  a  man 
inclined  to  be  wild.  If  any  of  my  readers 
ever  have  a  chance  to  see  "Jimmy"  Archer, 
the  Chicago  National  League  catcher,  work, 
they  should  take  advantage  of  it.  He  has 
an  almost  perfect  position  behind  the  bat. 
He  has  also  acquired  a  snap  throw,  while 
squatting  on  his  toes,  that  cannot  be  mastered 
by  many  men.  It  is  desirable,  but  not  es- 
sential to  a  good  catcher. 


THE    CATCHER  5 

There  is  another  important  feature  in  the 
work  of  a  catcher  which  no  boy  or  young  man 
who  desires  to  excel  should  overlook.  It  is 
what  Big  Leaguers  call  "shaping  the  ball." 

Now,  you  take  most  young  catchers  and 
they  will  let  their  arms  give  with  the  ball — 
that  is,  they  will  draw  their  hands  away  from 
the  plate  and  batter  when  they  receive  the 
ball.  They  have  a  notion  that  this  stops  it 
"stinging."  It  doesn't  much.  What  does  this 
do?  There  is  only  one  answer.  When  a 
catcher  is  pulling  the  ball  away  from  the  plate, 
or  giving  with  it  all  the  time,  instead  of  going 
out  with  his  hands  to  meet  it,  he  is  losing  a 
lot  of  strikes  that  really  are  good  strikes. 
The  umpire  has  to  judge  the  ball  partially 
from  where  the  catcher  gets  it  because  it  comes 
so  fast.  When  you  get  a  catcher  pulling  them 
off  the  line  of  the  plate,  he  is  losing  a  lot  of 
strikes  and  working  his  pitcher  into  the  hole 
all  the  time,  a  thing  to  be  avoided.  Many 
times  a  catcher  is  quite  as  much  to  blame  for 
the  pitcher  getting  into  the  hole  as  the  pitcher 
is  himself.  As  for  a  catcher  "stinging"  his 
hands  while  wearing  the  big  mitt,  all  that  is 
necessary  to  remark  is,  his  hands  should  be 
hard  enough  to  catch  the  ball,  anyway. 

Now,  I  want  all  my  readers  to  get  the  idea 


6      HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

of  what  I  mean  by  "shaping  the  ball."  As 
the  ball  is  delivered  by  the  pitcher,  have  your 
hands  coming  toward  the  plate  instead  of 
pulling  away  from  it.  In  this  way  you  may 
get  some  doubtful  strikes  that  otherwise  the 
umpire  would  call  balls.  You  are  pulling  all 
the  pitches  in  toward  the  heart  of  the  plate, 
or  "shaping"  them  toward  it.  In  any  way 
that  the  catcher  can  help  the  pitcher,  he  is 
aiding  his  team  because  the  twirler  is  the  vital 
cog  in  the  machine,  and  the  catcher  is  sup- 
posed to  handle  him.  It  is  a  well  known 
fact,  and  recognized  among  baseball  men, 
that  some  catchers  cannot  handle  some 
pitchers  because  they  worry  them.  That  is 
the  reason  you  see  by  the  daily  box  scores  in 
the  newspapers  the  same  batteries  work  to- 
gether so  much.  They  get  used  to  each  other. 

To  develop  this  trick  of  "shaping  the  ball," 
I  would  advise  the  young  fellow  to  stand  in 
front  of  a  mirror  and  practice  the  motions  of 
catching  correctly  without  any  ball.  He  then 
can  see  how  his  arms  ought  to  swing  in 
toward  the  plate  instead  of  away  from  it. 

There  is  another  reason  for  pushing  the  arms 
toward  the  plate  instead  of  drawing  them 
away  and  that  is  the  advantage  it  gives  in 
throwing.  The  only  proper  way  for  a  catcher 


THE   CATCHER  7 

to  throw  to  catch  a  man  stealing  a  base  is 
with  a  snap.  (Illustration  No.  2.)  There  is 
never  any  time  for  a  windup.  If  the  catcher 
tries  to  take  a  windup,  he  will  find  runners 
stealing  bases  on  him  right  along.  He  loses 
too  much  time  in  getting  the  windup. 

Now,  as  you  read  this,  try  something.  Catch 
the  ball  the  wrong  way  by  drawing  the  arms 
away  from  the  plate,  and  you  will  find  it 
almost  impossible  to  make  a  throw  without 
taking  a  windup.  The  position  of  the  arms 
after  the  ball  is  caught  makes  the  windup 
necessary  in  getting  it  away.  They  are  away 
back  by  the  body.  Now,  try  "shaping  the 
ball" — that  is,  shooting  the  hands  in  toward 
the  plate — and  you  will  find  you  are  in  a 
position  to  snap  the  ball  down  to  second  with- 
out drawing  the  arm  away  back.  That  is 
what  I  mean  by  the  windup.  In  the  snap 
throw,  the  hand  is  not  drawn  back  further 
than  the  line  of  the  shoulder,  and  impetus  is 
received  from  the  arm  alone  without  putting 
the  body  into  the  throw  at  all.  This  quick 
throwing  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  things 
a  catcher  has  to  do,  and  the  "shaping  of  the 
ball"  helps  him  to  accomplish  it.  Try  it  and 
see  how  it  helps  you. 

If  a  boy  wants  to  be  a  good  catcher  let 


8      HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

him  practice  this  "shaping  of  the  ball"  until 
he  has  it  perfected.  It  simply  means  shoot- 
ing the  hands  toward  the  perfect  strike  spot 
on  the  plate  instead  of  drawing  them  away 
from  it.  The  perfection  of  it  is  absolutely 
essential  because  it  benefits  the  pitcher,  the 
catcher,  the  entire  club.  By  the  "perfect 
strike  spot"  I  mean  an  imaginary  point,  waist 
high,  over  the  center  of  the  plate. 

Now,  let  us  consider  the  throwing  a  little. 
This  is  an  important  duty  of  the  catcher.  He 
must  have  a  good  arm  and  learn  to  throw 
accurately.  If  you  cannot  do  this,  you  might 
just  as  well  make  up  your  mind  that  you 
are  going  to  lose  the  close  games  before  you 
start.  A  stolen  base  at  a  critical  stage  has 
won  many  a  ball  game  because  on  second  a 
runner  is  in  a  position  to  score,  and,  if  the 
other  side  is  going  to  run  wild  on  the  bases, 
there  is  no  use  in  playing. 

The  arm  can  be  developed  by  practicing 
throwing  diligently,  but  not  too  much  of  it 
all  at  once.  Be  careful  about  a  sore  arm. 
Practice  is  the  only  way  in  which  accuracy 
can  be  accomplished,  too.  Do  it  with  a  bat- 
ter in  the  box.  Get  some  boy  to  stand  up 
there  and  act  as  a  dummy  and  swing  at  the 
ball  if  necessary,  but  always  practice  under 


dn  of  the  Cubs.    Note  position 
of  thumb  close  to  hand  to  prevent  injury.     Correct  style. 


THE   CATCHER  9 

the  proper  conditions.  Throw  directly  at  the 
bag  and  not  at  a  moving  infielder,  having  pre- 
viously arranged  with  the  second  baseman  and 
shortstop  by  means  of  signs  which  one  will 
cover.  The  player  covering  is  supposed  to 
be  there  when  the  ball  arrives.  Make  your 
target  the  bag  about  a  foot  above  the  ground.* 
This  requires  a  great  amount  of  practice.  The 
same  applies  in  throwing  to  third  base.  Drive 
the  ball  at  the  bag. 

Many  boys  complain  when  they  first  start 
to  catch  that  they  cannot  help  blinking  their 
eyes  as  the  batter  swings  at  the  ball — a  trick 
which  makes  them  worthless  as  catchers  and 
greatly  increases  the  dangers  of  the  job. 
There  is  only  one  way  to  overcome  this  blink- 
ing tendency  and  that  also  is  by  practice. 
The  boy  must  get  used  to  the  hitter  swinging 
the  bat  and  pay  no  attention  to  it.  The  good 
catchers  hardly  see  the  bat  swing.  Most  any 
boy  can  overcome  this  fault  with  practice. 
Always  wear  a  mask  and  chest  protector  when 
you  are  catching  because,  once  a  young  fel- 
low is  badly  hurt,  it  is  liable  to  make  him 
shy  ever  afterwards.  It  also  gives  you  a  safer 
feeling,  and  the  blinking  is  easier  to  overcome 
then.  You  must  get  used  to  catching  in  a 
mask. 


10    HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

Now,  the  catcher  must  practically  run  the 
team  because  he  sees  opportunities  that  the 
other  men  are  not  in  a  position  to  observe. 
The  field  is  like  a  blackboard  to  the  catcher, 
for  he  faces  it  and  sees  everything.  The  Big 
League  catcher  watches  how  his  fielders  are 
playing  and  gives  signs  to  the  pitcher  for 
the  kind  of  balls  which  are  more  apt  to  go 
to  the  fielders  when  hit. 

For  instance,  a  right  handed  batter  is  more 
apt  to  hit  a  curved  ball  on  the  outside  of  the 
plate  to  right  field  than  to  left,  so,  if  the 
catcher  sees  his  right  fielder  is  playing  around 
near  the  line,  he  signs  for  this  curve  on  the 
outside  corner.  But  this  development  is  gen- 
erally confined  to  the  Big  Leagues  and  is  too 
involved  for  instruction  of  this  sort.  It  will 
be  time  enough  for  a  man  to  pick  this  up 
when  he  reaches  the  majors.  He  will  get 
along  very  successfully  without  it  up  to  that 
time. 

A  catcher  must  be  very  careful  about  giv- 
ing  his  signs  so  that  the  coachers  at  first  and 
third  bases  will  not  see  them.  The  catcher 
should  crouch  down  and  give  his  signs  deep 
between  his  knees  and  within  his  glove  so  that 
they  are  just  visible  to  the  pitcher.  (Illustra- 
tion No.  3.)  He  should  not  expose  them  long, 


THE    CATCHER  11 

but  have  them  all  set  and  uncover  them  so 
that  he  "flashes  it,"  as  professionals  say. 

In  the  Big  League  smart  coachers  are  al- 
ways on  the  lookout  for  the  catcher's  signs, 
hoping  that  they  can  find  out  what  is  going 
to  be  pitched  to  the  batter.  Then  they  flash 
it  to  the  batter,  and  he  has  a  better  chance 
of  hitting  the  ball  if  he  has  been  tipped  off 
whether  it  will  be  a  curve  or  a  straight  one. 
This  advanced  stuff  only  occurs  in  the  Big 
Leagues.  There  is  not  much  chance  of  a 
coacher  getting  the  catcher's  signs  and  sliding 
them  back  to  the  batter  in  a  minor  league  or 
amateur  contest.  Nevertheless,  if  a  man  ever 
expects  to  be  a  good  catcher,  he  should  be 
very  careful  about  covering  up  his  signs.  This 
sign  concealment  is  vital  to  success. 

The  catcher  should  have  arranged  two  or 
three  different  sets  of  signs  with  his  pitcher 
before  the  game  starts,  or  previous  to  the 
opening  of  the  season.  Then,  if  he  thinks 
the  other  side  is  getting  his  signals  in  a  game, 
he  can  switch  to  another  set  by  walking  out 
to  the  box  and  informing  the  pitcher  of  the 
change.  That  is  what  the  battery  conferences, 
so  often  seen  on  a  Big  League  ball  field,  are 
generally  for. 

On  the  Giants,  all  the  pitchers  have  a  set 


12    HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

of  signs  so  that  if  we  think  the  other  team 
is  getting  our  catcher's,  the  pitcher  can  be 
the  source.  He  gives  them  by  nodding  his  . 
head  or  with  his  feet.  But  I  would  not  advise 
this  for  a  club  of  young  fellows  because  it 
makes  it  all  too  involved.  Mathewson,  of  the 
Giants,  gave  all  the  signs  in  one  of  the  world's 
series  games  with  the  Athletics  in  1911. 
Meyers  sent  out  fake  signals,  of  course,  to 
throw  the  other  side  off.  If  a  catcher  is  giv-  - 
ing  "phoney"  signs,  he  wants  to  give  lots  of 
them. 

I  cannot  emphasize  too  strongly  the  neces- 
sity of  a  young  catcher  being  thorough  in  his  • 
signs.  When  he  flashes  a  signal  to  a  base- 
man, he  should  have  arranged  an  answering 
sign  with  that  man  so  he  will  know  that  the 
baseman  has  received  his  sign  and  understands 
it.  The  catcher  must  have  a  set  of  signals  with 
all  the  infielders  to  arrange  about  who  is  to 
cover  the  bag  when  a  man  is  stealing  second, 
and  to  signal  when  he  is  going  to  throw  the 
ball  to  a  base  in  an  effort  to  get  a  runner  too 
far  away  from  the  bag.  The  great  thing  is 
to  "cross"  the  other  team  whenever  possible. 

A  catcher  must  watch  for  runners  stealing.  % 
If  he  thinks  that  the  runner  is  to  leave,  he 
signs  for  a  pitchout,  which  means  that  the 


THE   CATCHER  18 

pitcher  is  to  throw  the  ball  wide  on  purpose 
where  the  batter  can't  hit  it  and  waste  one 
in  order  that  the  catcher  may  have  a  better 
chance  to  throw.  He  can  get  the  ball  away 
quicker  and  has  more  chance  of  nailing  the 
runner  at  second  base  on  a  pitchout. 

But  the  catcher  must  not  be  too  liberal  in 
ordering  these  pitchouts  because  the  smart, 
base  runner  will  try  to  make  the  catcher  think 
he  is  going  to  steal  in  order  to  draw  the 
wasted  ball.  This  puts  the  pitcher  into  the 
hole,  and  the  runner  has  a  better  chance  of 
getting  to  second  as  a  result.  Therefore,  the 
catcher  must  exercise  great  judgment  in  ask- 
ing for  a  pitchout.  It  is  a  duel  of  wits  be- 
tween the  catcher  and  the  base  runner,  with 
each  one  trying  to  get  the  other  in  the  hole. 
If  the  runner  can  draw  two  pitchouts  from 
the  twirler,  then  the  latter  is  in  the  hole  and 
has  to  put  the  ball  over  the  plate  for  the 
batter,  who  has  a  better  chance  to  hit.  By  a 
pitcher  being  "in  the  hole,"  I  mean  giving  the 
batter  an  advantage  by  pitching  balls. 

When  I  come  to  talk  about  the  infielders,  I 
shall  have  more  to  say  about  the  workings  of 
the  signs  between  the  catcher  and  the  various 
infielders.  It  will  be  easier  to  do  this  when 
I  take  up  each  position  individually  instead 


U    HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

of  considering  it  all  in  a  lump  now.  The 
catcher  should  read  all  the  articles  on  the 
various  positions  because  in  that  way  he  will 
have  a  better  line  on  the  workings  of  the 
team  as  a  whole.  This  is  true  of  the  fellows 
who  expect  to  play  any  position.  They  must 
read  all  these  articles. 

A  catcher  must  have  plenty  of  pepper  be- 
cause he  is  expected  to  keep  the  rest  of  the 
club  on  its  toes  and  encourage  the  other 
players.  He  must  keep  close  track  of  the 
game,  and  frequently  can  shout  a  warning  or 
a  direction  to  one  of  the  infielders  or  pitchers 
which  saves  a  run.  The  catcher  is  not  sup- 
posed to  talk  to  batters,  but  he  should  talk  to 
the  pitcher  and  steady  him  if  necessary.  Let 
him  argue  with  the  twirler  if  he  begins  to 
weaken. 

"Now,"  say  to  him,  "y°u  pitched  this  ball 
to  this  fellow  before  and  got  away  with  it. 
Let's  try  it  again." 

Maybe  the  catcher  is  signing  for  an  alto- 
gether different  one,  but  his  words  have  the 
effect  desired  on  the  batter.  It  also  gives  the 
pitcher  more  confidence. 

There  is  one  other  thing  which  I  want  to 
emphasize.  Let  the  catcher  always  keep  the 
thumb  of  his  bare  hand  close  to  his  fingers. 


THE   CATCHER  15 

(Illustration  No.  4.)  Otherwise,  it  is  likely 
to  be  broken  off  by  a  foul  tip  or  a  sharp 
breaking  curve.  Hold  the  thumb  right  tight  * 
to  the  hand  in  catching.  This  direction  is 
very  important  and  will  save  many  painful 
injuries  if  followed. 

There  is  not  much  to  tell  a  man  about  catch- 
ing fouls.  Catchers,  after  they  have  been 
in  the  game  for  a  time,  learn  to  start  with- 
the  crack  of  the  bat  and  instinctively  go  in 
the  right  direction  for  a  foul.  This  can  only 
be  acquired  by  practice.  Of  course,  the  fast 
catcher  has  the  advantage  over  the  slower  one 
in  getting  fouls,  but  much  depends  on  the 
start.  Tear  off  the  mask  and  dig.  Do  not  - 
turn  around  any  more  than  possible  in  chas- 
ing the  fly,  because  in  this  way  you  get 
"wound  up,"  lose  your  bearings,  get  dizzy, 
and  are  more  apt  to  miss  the  ball.  In  hand- 
ling foul  flies,  catch  the  ball  flat  in  the  big 
glove  when  possible,  and  clamp  the  hand  on 
top  of  it  hard,  because  the  ball  will  spin  out 
of  the  glove  if  you  don't.  Fouls  spin.  Also 
shout  when  you  go  after  a  fly  so  you  won't  • 
have  any  conflicts  with  the  first  and  third  base- 
man. Yell,  "I've  got  it,"  or  "You  take  it." 

The  blocking  off  of  runners  from  the  plate 
is  one  of  the  most  dangerous  things  that  a 


16    HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

catcher  has  to  do.  Many  players  come  into 
the  backstop  with  their  spikes  showing  and 
try  to  scare  him  away.  I  would  recommend 
that  a  catcher  use  shin  guards,  as  these  often 
save  a  broken  leg  or  bad  cuts  and  make  the 
base  runners  more  careful  about  how  they 
slide  into  a  catcher.  Illustration  No.  5  shows 
how  to  block  a  man  off,  but  I  would  advise 
against  this  as  much  as  possible  because  of 
the  risk  of  injury.  Whenever  he  has  time, 
the  catcher  should  go  a  few  feet  down  the 
base  line  and  touch  the  man,  but,  in  a  pinch, 
when  the  runner  slides,  the  catcher  must  block. 
Otherwise,  it  may  cost  his  team  a  run. 

In  summing  up,  I  want  to  say  that  the 
catcher  should  be  "sizey"  and  must  possess 
brains,  for  important  plays  revolve  around 
him,  and  he  can  save  many  a  game  by  quick 
thinking.  That  is  the  idea — to  win — but, 
if  necessary,  be  a  good  loser.  I  would 
honestly  advise  a  boy  to  become  a  catcher  if 
he  has  any  adaptability  for  it,  because  there 
is  more  room  in  the  Big  Leagues  for  good 
catchers  than  for  candidates  for  other  posi- 
tions. Good  catchers  are  very  scarce.  A  man 
does  not  need  to  be  so  fast  to  be  a  catcher, 
but  he  should  be  a  fair  batter  and  have  the  old 
grit.  Resort  to  plenty  of  practice.  Never 
• 


THE   CATCHER  17 

try  to  cover  weaknesses,  but  work  to  overcome 
them.  And  don't  forget  to  "shape  the  ball." 

Don't  be  reckless  needlessly.  Remember, 
when  a  good  man  is  hurt  and  out  of  the  game, 
it  breaks  up  the  whole  club,  especially  when 
he  is  the  catcher.  Have  an  understanding 
with  your  infiejders.  Don't  go  after  the  same 
ball,  and  then  let  it  drop  between  you.  That 
has  lost  many  a  game. 

And  always  play  hard. 


II 

THE  PITCHER 

THE  position  of  pitcher  is  the  most  im- 
portant one  on  a  ball  club,  the  twirler 
probably  comprising  about  thirty  per 
cent,  of  the  entire  strength  of  the  team.    The 
rest  of  the  defence  makes  up  about  another 
thirty  per  cent,  and  the  aggression  or  offence 
is  equal  to  forty  per  cent.,  because  a  ball  club 
cannot  win  any  games,  no  matter  how  good  it 
may  be  at  fielding,  unless  it  can  collect  some 
runs  off  the  opposing  team. 

Therefore,  I  have  decided  to  preface  my 
three  lessons  on  pitching  with  a  few  general 
remarks  which  should  be  very  helpful.  In 
discussing  the  requisites  of  a  pitcher,  I  shall 
not  go  into  the  extreme  fine  points  which  are 
required  in  a  man  fit  for  Big  League  service, 
but  I  will  try  to  give  my  readers  a  thorough 
grounding  in  the  art  of  pitching  that  should 
be  very  beneficial  in  developing  them  if  they 
will  follow  my  directions.  If  my  student  ever 
does  get  up  to  the  Big  League,  his  manager 


THE  PITCHER  19 

will  drill  him  in  the  finer  points,  which  are  per- 
haps too  involved  to  set  down  clearly  on 
paper. 

And  I  hope  that  if  any  of  the  boys  or 
young  men  who  read  these  articles  ever 
should  get  to  me  for  a  chance  in  the  Big 
League,  he  will  mention  his  preliminary  study 
in  these  lessons,  as  I  am  eager  to  see  just  how 
effective  these  talks  are  going  to  he.  But  if 
any  reader  ever  does  reach  me  and  admits  that 
he  has  carefully  gone  over  these  lessons  and 
then  repeats  some  of  the  faults  against  which 
I  am  going  to  warn  him  in  these  talks,  he 
need  not  expect  to  be  complimented  on  his 
ability.  Also,  please  remember  that  I  am  al- 
ways ready  to  help  young  pitchers  and  am 
constantly  searching  for  men  of  ability.  I 
would  be  glad  to  hear  from  any  who  can  show 
recommendations  that  would  warrant  a  trial 
with  me. 

First,  I  like  my  pitchers  to  be  big  and  rangy 
for  many  reasons.  Lack  of  size  does  not 
necessarily  prevent  a  man  from  becoming  a 
successful  pitcher,  but  it  handicaps  him.  Some 
small  men  have  been  good  twirlers — for  ex- 
ample, Warhop,  of  the  Yankees,  who  is  said 
to  be  a  very  efficient  performer;  Jack  Pfiester, 
formerly  of  the  Cubs ;  Clarke  Griffith,  now  the 


20    HOW  TO  PLAY,  BASEBALL 

manager  of  Washington,  and  others.  But  the 
smaller  the  man,  the  bigger  and  stauncher  his 
heart  must  be  to  succeed,  because  the  physical 
strain  will  be  greater. 

Right  here,  I  want  to  say  something  about 
the  mental  qualifications  of  a  pitcher.  He 
must  have  grit  and  a  steady  head.  There  is 
no  job  on  the  club  so  trying  to  the  nerves, 
because  it  is  up  to  the  pitcher  in  every  pinch 
to  down  the  other  team  or  be  beaten.  He 
must  never  admit,  even  to  himself,  that  he  is 
whipped,  no  matter  how  tight  the  situation 
is.  This  is  true  of  every  position  on  a  ball 
club,  and  also  in  the  game  of  life,  but  perhaps 
the  stick-to-it  attribute  is  more  necessary  in 
a  twirler  than  in  any  other  player.  If  he 
begins  to  give  up,  it  often  has  a  depressing 
effect  on  the  rest  of  the  club.  He  must  not 
be  upset  by  errors  in  his  defence,  either,  be- 
cause all  teams  will  do  this.  It  is  generally 
up  to  him  to  hold  the  club  together. 

Probably  more  boys  or  young  men  desire 
to  be  pitchers  than  to  play  any  other  posi- 
tion, perhaps  because  they  believe  there  is  more 
glory  attached  to  the  work  of  that  job  when 
they  are  winners.  I  have  made  Big  League 
pitchers  out  of  men  who  had  the  natural  and 
physical  ingredients.  This  shows  that  pitchers 


THE  PITCHER  21 

are  not  all  born,  but  can  be  manufactured  by 
the  proper  treatment.  Tesreau  is  a  star  who 
is  a  manufactured  product.  He  had  few  of 
the  gifts  of  a  finished  pitcher  when  he  came 
to  me,  but  he  had  the  body  and  the  head  and 
the  heart,  and  I  made  him  a  pitcher.  If  a 
boy  should  want  some  good  ideas  on  pitching, 
let  him  watch  Christy  Mathewson  work  if  he 
ever  gets  an  opportunity.  To  my  mind,  he 
has  the  greatest  combination  of  mental  and 
physical  qualities  ever  assembled  in  a  twirler. 
Notice  him  when  his  club  makes  errors  behind 
him.  Does  he  lose  heart?  No.  He  only 
works  the  harder.  That  is  what  you  fellows 
must  learn  to  do.  I  say  "y°u  fellows"  because 
I  feel  as  if  I  were  talking  right  to  a  big  bunch 
of  recruits  in  a  spring  camp. 

STYLE  OF  DELIVERY 


lesson  will  be  divided  into  two  sec- 
tions:  (a)  the  Pitcher's  Position  in  the 
Box  with  the  Bases  Empty,  and  (b)  the 
Pitcher's  Position  in  the  Box  with  Runners 

on  the  Bases. 

s 

Potion  in  the  Box  with  the  Bases  Empty 

When  there  are  no  runners  on  the  bases, 

a  pitcher  wants  to  use  his  swing  and  windup 


22    HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

to  the  best  advantage,  as  this  is  a  big  help 
in  delivering  the  ball.  Therefore,  I  would 
advise  a  boy  cultivating  one  style  of  delivery 
first  and  sticking  to  that  rather  than  switch- 
ing around  from  one  to  another  and  being 
unfinished  in  all  forms.  It  is  best  to  perfect 
one  style.  I  would  classify  deliveries  as  fol- 
lows: 

1. — Overhand. 
2. — Side  arm. 
3. — Underhand. 

The  most  effective  form  of  delivery  is  over- 
hand, and  I  would  advise  all  pitchers  to  aim 
to  acquire  this  style  for  many  reasons.  It  is 
a  particularly  desirable  form  for  a  tall  pitcher, 
as  he  gets  more  leverage  with  the  overhand 
swing  and  a  better  break  on  his  curve  ball. 
The  ball  is  also  easier  to  control  when  shot 
from  an  overhand  swing. 

It  is  possible  for  a  pitcher  to  develop  an 
individual  swing  with  eccentricities  in  the 
movement,  but  at  first  I  would  advise  a  young 
pitcher  against  it.  It  is  too  involved.  He 
should  practice  a  regular  swing.  This  can 
be  done  without  a  ball.  It  is  not  a  bad  idea 
to  do  this  before  a  mirror  if  there  is  a  large 
one  handy. 


THE  PITCHER  23 

The  regulation  overhand  swing  starts  with 
the  ball  and  both  hands  held  against  the  chest, 
and  then  the  right  or  left  arm,  according  to 
whether  the  man  is  a  southpaw  or  a  right 
handed  pitcher,  is  swung  in  a  short  circle, 
with  the  muscles  of  the  arm  and  body  re- 
laxed. Finally,  the  pitching  hand  is  brought 
back  over  the  head  and  joins  the  other  when 
the  twirler  swings  back  on  his  right  foot  if  he 
is  a  right  hander,  or  the  left  for  a  southpaw. 

A  pitcher  should  swing  as  far  backward 
as  possible  without  losing  his  balance  because 
in  this  way  he  tends  to  fool  the  batter  by  con- 
cealing the  ball  from  his  view  for  a  moment. 
He  should  also  pivot  slightly  on  his  back  foot, 
which  helps  to  conceal  the  ball.  This  long 
swing  (Illustration  No.  6)  has  two  advan- 
tages : 

1.  The  pitcher  gets  the  weight  of  his  body 
behind  the  ball  and  does  not  pitch  entirely 
with  his  arm. 

2.  By  his  motion,  he  puzzles  the  batter  as 
the  latter  watches  the  ball,  and,  when  it  disap- 
pears from  view  for  a  moment,  the  batter  does 
not  know  exactly  from  where  it  will  come. 
Some  pitchers,  after  their  arms  have  gone 
back  on  them,  have  lived  in  the  Big  Leagues 
for  several  seasons  on  their  peculiar  motions 


24    HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

alone,  but  I  shall  take  them  up  later.  The 
way  to  beat  them  is  to  get  men  on  the  bases, 
when  they  must  cut  this  windup  down. 

Now  comes  the  next  important  thing  for 
a  young  pitcher  to  learn  when  he  is  practicing 
his  swing  with  no  runners  on  the  bases.  This  is 
the  style  of  placing  the  feet,  which  may  make 
or  break  a  twirler. 

When  ready  to  deliver  the  ball  he  should  • 
stand  with  both  feet  flat  on  the  rubber,  the 
arch  of  each  foot  on  it,  and  the  feet  an  equal 
distance  from  the  batter  and  about  fifteen  to 
eighteen  inches  apart,  the  distance  being  ad- 
justable to  the  pitcher's  build  and  length  of 
leg.  Both  feet  are  even  or  parallel  in  this  po- 
sition and  flat  on  the  rubber.  The  ball  is  held 
up  against  the  breast  before  starting  the 
swing.  Then  take  the  swing,  as  already  di- 
rected, and  try  to  feel  the  pitch  start  from 
down  at  the  base  of  the  spine.  That  means 
you  are  getting  your  back  into  it,  and  your 
arm  will  be  working  simply  as  a  whip  to  snap 
the  ball  away  and  regulate  its  direction. 

Be  sure  to  cover  the  ball  up  with  your 
gloved  hand  before  starting  the  swing  (that 
is,  when  the  ball  is  held  against  your  chest) 
because  batters  soon  get  to  look  at  the  posi- 
tion of  the  fingers  to  get  a  line  on  what  to 


Illustration  No.  6— "Chief"  Bender  of  the  Athletics  at  top  of 
swing  just  before  delivering  the  ball.     Note  position 
carefully.   The  ball  has  t*een  concealed  from  the 
"<  ?b'atter  by'-;Bcirdtr*|  fegj  while  he  has  pivoted 
e  slightlyconTiis  back  foot. 


Illustration  No.  7— John  Coombs  of  the  A,tjjletiqs  just  a/ter,  deliver- 
ing the  ball.     Note  how  he  hai  puifcis;  whale  bocfyj'ntb  the 
pitch.     He  is  also  standing  firmly  on  both  feet  ready 

to  go  after  a  bai  ted  ball.  ; »  '  ;  //, 


Illustration  No.  fl— ;"jCy",  Young  delivering  the  ball  with  run- 
the  .bases',  £,51i£€nght  foot  is  swinging  around  in 
front  of  the  lefjt«  after  the  pitch. 


THE  PITCHER  25 

expect  and  become  so  expert  at  it  that  they 
can  tell,  when  the  pitching  hand  is  exposed 
the  least  bit,  whether  to  look  for  a  fast  one 
or  a  curved  ball.  Of  course,  the  ball  leaves 
the  concealment  during  the  swing,  but  is 
again  covered  by  the  glove  when  the  hands 
meet  over  your  head  just  before  it  is  thrown. 
All  varieties  of  balls  should  be  delivered  with  • 
the  same  motion,  the  changes  of  pace  and 
curves  being  obtained  by  the  manner  in  which 
the  ball  is  thrown  and  the  wrist  snapped. 
These  will  be  taken  up  in  a  subsequent  part 
of  this  lesson  on  pitching. 

Now,  to  review  briefly  the  rudiments  of  the 
overhand  swing.  First,  be  sure  to  get  your 
feet  even  on  the  rubber  and  then  cover  the 
ball.  Take  a  long  swing,  concluding  with  the 
motion  back  over  the  head  and  balancing  on 
one  foot  when  the  ball  is  concealed  from  the 
batter  for  a  moment.  Comejstraight  over  and ' 
get  your  back  into  it,  landing  firmly  on  your  . 
feet  with  your  left  foot  in  front  if  you 
are  a  right  handed  pitcher,  or  your  right 
in  front  if  you  are  a  southpaw.  (Illustration 
No.  7.) 

Landing  firmly  and  properly  on  your  feet 
is  important,  as  pitchers  who  get  tangled  up 
and  are  off  their  balance  after  they  have  de- 


26    HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

livered  the  ball  cannot  field  their  position,  and 
the  visiting  team  will  beat  them  by  bunting. 
This  is  the  weakness  of  many  pitchers  in  the 
Big  Leagues  now,  and  they  are  constantly  be- 
ing defeated  by  bunting  clubs.  Wise  mana- 
gers will  not  start  them  against  a  team  with 
good  hunters  on  it.  Therefore,  be  sure  to 
land  firmly  on  your  feet  with  your  weight 
on  the  front  foot  and  ready  to  start  in  any 
direction  for  a  batted  ball. 

Do  not  forget  the  long  swing  with  the  back 
in  the  pitch.  "Bugs"  Raymond,  if  you  ever 
saw  him  work,  was  a  splendid  example  of  the 
perfect  pitching  machine.  He  started  his  mo- 
tion from  the  base  of  the  spine,  and  it  was 
from  this  that  he  obtained  his  great  speed 
and  the  jump  on  his  fast  ball. 

I  thought  "Bugs"  had  the  most  perfect 
pitching  motion  I  have  ever  seen.  He  could 
go  out  and  pitch  all  morning  for  batting  prac- 
tice, and  then  go  in  and  pitch  a  game  on  the 
same  afternoon  because  his  easy  motion  did 
not  tire  him.  This  easy  swing  is  a  great  thing 
to  obtain,  as  opposing  managers  often  figure 
on  a  pitcher  tiring  when  his  delivery  is  awk- 
ward and  play  to  make  him  pitch  every  ball 
that  they  can,  expecting  to  beat  him  in  the 
final  innings  when  he  wearies  and  weakens. 


THE  PITCHER  27 

The  side  arm  delivery  is  used  more  fre- 
quently and  more  successfully  than  the  under- 
hand style,  so  we  shall  consider  that  next. 
This  is  valuable  because,  through  it,  a  pitcher 
obtains  a  cross  fire  that  is  puzzling  and  shoots 
the  ball  at  the  batter  from  a  different  angle. 
It  is  not  possible  to  get  as  much  leverage  on 
the  ball  with  this  sort  of  delivery,  but  many 
pitchers  use  it  very  effectively,  "Ed"  Walsh, 
the  great  pitcher  of  the  Chicago  White  Sox, 
being  the  most  striking  example. 

The  delivery  is  accomplished  with  the  same 
sort  of  a  preliminary  swing  that  is  used  with 
the  overhand  pitching,  the  variation  being  ob- 
tained in  the  step,  and  in  letting  the  arm 
swing  around  to  the  side  just  before  the  ball 
is  delivered  instead  of  straight  over. 

Take  the  same  swing  that  you  use  in  get- 
ting ready  for  the  overhand  pitch  and  let  the 
hands  meet  back  over  the  head,  balancing  on 
the  back  foot.  The  front  foot  is  raised  off 
the  ground,  and  the  leg  is  coiled  a  little  as 
in  the  overhand  style.  When  your  arm  comes 
over,  step  out  toward  third  base  with  your 
left  foot,  if  you  are  a  right  hander.  The 
average  distance  to  step  with  this  foot  is  about 
two  feet,  landing  firmly  on  your  feet,  as  in 
the  other  form,  so  as  to  field  a  batted  ball 


28    HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

readily.  The  length  of  the  step  depends  on 
the  build  of  the  pitcher. 

The  advantage  in  this  form  of  delivery  is 
that  you  shoot  the  ball  at  the  batter  from  a 
new  angle,  and  he  is  suddenly  surprised,  the 
ball  having  been  concealed  for  a  moment  when 
you  took  your  backward  swing  as  in  the  over- 
hand variety.  In  doing  this,  pivot  on  your 
back  foot  slightly  so  your  body  swings  be- 
tween your  pitching  hand  and  the  batter.  The 
preliminary  position  is  the  same  as  for  the 
overhand  style,  with  both  feet  flat  on  the  rub- 
ber and  parallel. 

The  underhand  swing  I  do  not  care  for 
and  never  recommend  it.  It  is  hard  to  con- 
trol the  ball,  delivering  it  from  this  unnatural 
position,  and  impossible  to  obtain  so  much 
speed.  Its  one  advantage  is  that  the  batter 
is  sometimes  fooled  because  the  ball  comes 
at  him  from  an  unexpected  place.  Few  big 
men  have  employed  the  style  successfully  in 
the  Big  League.  "Joe"  McGinnity,  formerly 
of  the  New  York  Giants;  "Jack"  Warhop 
of  the  New  York  Yankees,  and  "Slim"  Sallee 
of  the  St.  Louis  Nationals  are  the  three 
notable  examples  of  men  who  have  been  ef- 
fective with  it.  Many  others  have  tried  it 
and  failed. 


THE  PITCHER  29 

Young  pitchers  often  cultivate  this  form, 
thinking  that  it  gives  them  some  kind  of  an 
up  curve  which  is  particularly  deceptive  to 
the  batter.  If  any  pitcher  in  baseball  ever 
had  a  real  up  curve,  I  have  not  seen  it.  These 
underhand  twirlers  get  a  gradual  rise  on  the 
ball  because  it  is  started  from  a  low  position, 
usually  below  the  waist  line,  but  there  is  no 
upward  "break"  on  it.  The  angle  is  the  only 
thing  puzzling  to  a  batsman. 

Besides  making  the  ball  hard  to  control, 
this  sort  of  delivery  is  awkward  and  frequently 
leaves  the  pitcher  off  his  balance  and  in  no 
position  to  field  a  hit  or  a  bunt.  The  pre- 
liminary swing  is  taken  in  the  same  way  as 
for  the  overhand  and  side  arm,  but  the  arm 
is  brought  through  below  the  shoulder  instead 
of  above  it  as  in  the  other  two  styles.  The 
first  change  comes  when  the  arm  is  drawn 
back.  The  two  hands  do  not  meet  over  the 
head,  but  on  one  side,  and  the  body  is  pivoted 
on  the  back  foot  until  a  right  hander  faces 
third  base. 

Now,  as  I  have  said,  I  would  advise  a  young 
pitcher  to  select  one  style  of  delivery  first, 
preferably  the  overhand,  and  stick  to  it  until 
he  has  perfected  it.  Let  him  cultivate  control 
with  the  swing  he  has  chosen.  Then,  if  he 


30    HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

desires  to  "mix  them  up,"  he  might  practice 
the  side  arm  swing,  to  work  in  occasionally 
with  the  overhand  delivery.  This  combina- 
tion should  make  the  most  successful  pitcher. 
I  am  strongly  prejudiced  against  the  under- 
hand ball  and  would  not  recommend  it  or 
try  to  teach  it  even  to  a  small  man. 

After  the  pitcher  has  practiced  his  swing, 
let  him  begin  to  vary  the  position  and  alti- 
tude of  his  hand  when  he  lets  the  ball  go. 
This  inclines  to  fool  a  batter  as  he  watches 
for  the  ball.  If  the  ball  is  always  coming 
from  the  one  position,  the  batter  can  set  him- 
self for  it.  Some  pitchers  are  successful  and 
always  deliver  the  ball  from  the  one  posture, 
but  they  offset  the  knowledge  which  batter? 
get  of  their  style  of  swing  by  the  information 
which  they  gather  by  studying  a  batter's  form 
and  looking  for  his  weakness.  If  a  pitcher 
has  developed  good  control,  then  he  can  shoot 
at  this  "groove"  with  confidence  in  his  ability 
to  put  the  ball  where  he  wants  it. 

In  getting  the  swing  do  not  become  dis- 
couraged. I  want  to  preach  patience  and 
practice  in  these  talks,  as  that  is  the  only  way 
in  which  results  can  be  obtained.  At  first  I 
would  suggest  trying  the  swing  without  a  ball, 
and  then  back  some  friend  who  does  not  aspire 


THE  PITCHER  31 

to  be  a  twirler,  or  perhaps  your  father — if 
he  has  faith  in  you  as  a  pitcher — up  against 
a  fence  or  barn  door  with  a  catcher's  mitt 
on  and  practice  the  swing  with  the  primary 
object  of  obtaining  control.  Let  your  volun- 
teer catcher  umpire  honestly.  That  is  the  only 
way  in  which  results  can  be  obtained. 

When  a  fellow  thinks  that  he  is  perfected 
in  his  regular  style,  he  might  practice  ec- 
centric motions,  such  as  "Dummy"  Taylor, 
formerly  of  the  Giants,  and  Sallee,  now  with 
St.  Louis,  use.  But  I  would  not  urge  him 
to  do  it.  Taylor  remained  in  the  National 
League  for  a  season  or  two  just  on  his  be- 
wildering swing.  He  would  stand  in  the  pre- 
liminary position  already  indicated,  take  three 
or  four  swings  in  small  circles  with  his  right 
arm,  and  then  whirl  entirely  around,  facing 
second  base,  before  delivering  the  ball,  leaving 
the  batter  nothing  to  look  at  except  his  back. 
The  ball  would  then  shoot  out  from  some  un- 
expected position.  In  the  last  days  of  his  Big 
League  career,  when  I  started  Taylor  I  took 
him  out  just  as  soon  as  men  got  on  the  bases 
and  he  had  to  cut  out  his  swing.  I  knew 
that  "Dummy"  would  be  beaten  without  the 
whirl. 

Sallee  is  the  same  sort  of  a  pitcher,  tying 


32    HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

himself  up  into  knots  and  letting  the  ball  go 
from  some  unexpected  place,  sometimes 
straight  over  his  head  and  again  off  his  shoe 
tops.  But  I  would  advise  against  these  ec- 
centric deliveries  until  a  pitcher  has  perfected 
some  simpler  swing  and  has  gained  control 
of  the  ball  with  it.  It  is  time  enough  to 
practice  on  varieties  when  you  begin  to  feel 
your  arm  going,  but  as  long  as  you  have  the 
real  "stuff"  you  don't  need  a  moving  picture 
motion. 


Position  of  Pitcher  with  Runners  on  the  Bases 

After  men  get  on  the  bases,  the  swing  must 
go,  with  only  one  or  two  exceptions,  because 
a  base  runner  can  get  his  start  as  soon  as  a 
pitcher  makes  a  motion.  When  a  base  runner 
is  on  third  base,  then  the  motion  does  not 
need  to  be  cut  out  because  he  cannot  start  for 
any  place  except  home,  and  the  chances  are 
all  against  stealing  home.  It's  a  foolish  thing 
to  attempt.  He  must  score  on  a  hit,  and  it 
doesn't  make  much  difference  how  much  of  a 
lead  he  takes  with  the  motion.  With  men  on 
second  and  third,  or  with  the  bases  full,  it  is 
also  possible  to  use  the  windup,  but  under 
any  other  circumstances  with  men  on  the  bases. 


THE  PITCHER  83 

it  must  be  cut  out.    Always  remember  where 
your  base  runners  are. 

When  the  swing  is  eliminated,  the  pitcher's 
preliminary  position  in  the  box  is  altered  en- 
tirely.   The  left  foot  is  placed  about  two  feet  • 
in  front  of  the  right  one  if  the  pitcher  is  right 
handed,  and  the  position  is  reversed  for  a 
southpaw.    The  heel  of  the  back  foot  is  just 
touching  the  rubber.     Stand  so  as  to  see  the 
base  on  which  there  is  a  runner  if  possible., 
For  instance,  if  the  man  is  on  first  base,  watch 
him  to  see  that  he  does  not  take  too  large  a 
lead.    Base  stealing  is  often  due  as  much  to 
careless  pitchers  as  poor  catchers.     Do  not. 
take  any  swing,  but  draw  the  arm  back  and  • 
pick  up  the  front  foot  at  the  same  time,  set- " 
ting  it  down  as  the  ball  leaves  the  hand.    The  ' 
back  foot  swings  around  in  front  (Illustration 
No.  8)  so  that  the  pitcher,  in  this  way,  gets  his 
weight  behind  the  ball,  and  his  back  into  the 
pitch  without  a  windup. 

The  final  position  of  a  pitcher,  after  de- 
livering the  ball  without  a  windup,  is  with 
his  right  foot  in  front  of  the  left.  Remember, 
the  left  foot  was  in  front  in  the  preliminary 
position.  This  is  for  a  right  hand  pitcher, 
and  the  position  is  reversed  for  a  left  bander. 
The  right  foot,  when  the  pitcher  is  ri| 


34    HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

4 

handed,  is  brought  around  in  front  by  lifting 
it  off  the  rubber  just  after  the  ball  leaves  your 
hand,  and  just  as  the  left  foot  is  planted  in 
the  step  taken  with  the  pitch.  This  brings 
you  up  firmly  on  your  feet,  with  neither  foot 
on  the  rubber,  and  ready  to  field  the  ball. 

To  repeat,  in  the  preliminary  position  the 
left  foot  of  a  right  hander  is  about  two  feet  in 
front  of  the  right,  just  the  heel  of  which  is 
against  the  rubber.  With  the  delivery,  the 
front  foot  is  raised  and  planted  with  the  pitch. 
The  back  foot  then  swings  off  the  rubber  and 
around  in  front  to  get  the  back  in  the  delivery 
and  to  obtain  the  follow  through.  A  pitcher 
can  take  his  foot  off  the  rubber  as  soon  as 
the  ball  leaves  his  hand. 

It  will  require  diligent  practice  to  accom- 
plish this,  as  it  is  the  hardest  thing  to  do  in 
pitching,  the  idea  being  to  get  the  back  be- 
hind the  pitch  without  the  preliminary  swing. 
When  standing  in  the  box  before  pitching, 
be  sure  that  your  feet  are  not  too  close  to- 
gether, as  base  runners  take  advantage  of  the 
resultant  long  step  to  get  a  start.  One  pitcher, 
who  broke  into  the  league  with  the  Boston  Na- 
tionals a  few  years  ago,  had  this  fault,  and 
men  were  stealing  bases  on  him  almost  at 
will  before  the  flaw  was  corrected. 


Ill 

THE    PITCHER 

Control  and  the  Curve  and  Fast  Balls 

\ 

AFTER  the  student  has  mastered  the  po- 
sition in  the  box,  both  with  men  on  the 
bases  and  with  the  bases  empty,  let 
him  work  on  his  control,  aiming  to  accomplish 
it  while  still  observing  the  talks  which  I  gave 
on  position  in  the  preceding  chapter.    When 
you  start  on  a  new  branch  of  pitching,  do  not 
abandon  what  you  have  already  learned. 

Control  is  the  most  valuable  single  quality 
a  pitcher  can  possess.  Of  what  use  are  curves 
and  spitballs  and  freak  deliveries  if  you  can- 
not get  the  ball  over  the  plate?  All  the  oppos- 
ing club  will  have  to  do  to  beat  you  will  be  for 
each  batter  to  wait  for  four  balls  and  walk 
around  the  bases.  Control  can  be  acquired  in 
only  one  way,  and  that  is  by  constant  practice. 
There  is  an  oft-repeated  lament  about  young 
pitchers : 

35 


36     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

"He  has  every  curve  in  the  world,"  says  the 
recommender,  "and  speed  to  burn,  but  he  lacks 
control." 

The  pitcher,  himself,  is  to  blame  for  lacking 
this  asset.  Patience  and  practice  will  bring  it 
to  any  fellow,  and  the  younger  he  is  when  he 
starts  to  acquire  it,  the  easier  it  will  come,  like 
learning  a  foreign  language  or  how  to  swim. 
The  preliminary  step  in  getting  control  is  to 
take  a  boy,  younger  than  yourself,  probably, 
because  he  will  stand  better  without  hitching, 
and  back  him  up  against  a  barn  or  fence  and 
pitch  to  him.  Put  down  a  plate,  of  the  exact 
dimensions  of  the  standard  plate  or  as  near  it 
as  possible,  and  then  let  the  boy  who  is  catch- 
ing act  as  umpire. 

"Now,"  he  should  say,  "this  fellow  (mean- 
ing the  imaginary  batter)  hits  them  high  and 
on  the  outside.  Try  to  keep  them  low  and 
close  to  him."  That  is  the  way  Wilbert  Rob- 
inson talks  to  my  young  pitchers  in  Spring 
training  in  Texas. 

Do  not  try  to  curve  the  ball  at  all  at  first, 
but  just  practice  your  swing  and  getting  the 
control.  Let  the  boy  who  is  umpiring  be  just. 
By  vigorous  practice  you  will  become  so  you 
can  throw  the  ball  just  where  you  want  to  and 
can  pitch  at  the  batter's  "groove."  By  the 


THE    PITCHER  37 

term  "groove,"  Big  Leaguers  mean  a  certain 
place  where  the  particular  batter  does  not  like 
the  ball.  Most  batters  have  a  "groove"  which 
can  be  discovered  only  through  diligent  ob- 
servation. This  "groove"  is  not  so  apparent 
in  younger  batters  as  it  is  in  the  minor  and 
major  leagues,  where  baseball  is  a  more  highly 
developed  science. 

To  ascertain  what  kind  of  a  ball  a  batter 
does  not  like,  keep  track  of  those  he  hits.  If 
he  steps  back  when  you  pitch,  keep  the  ball 
on  the  outside  of  the  plate,  and  the  batter  who 
steps  back  will  never  hit  it.  If  a  hitter  crowds 
the  plate,  you  might  shoot  the  first  one  at  him 
to  drive  him  back,  and  then  slip  the  next  one 
over  the  outside  of  the  plate.  -When  you  do 
not  know  a  batter's  weakness,  a  low  ball  on 
the  outside  is  more  apt  to  fool  him  than  any 
other,  because  many  young  hitters  have  the 
habit  of  stepping  back  from  the  ball  when  they 
swing.  This  is  an  inexcusable  fault  in  a  hitter 
and  one  which  a  pitcher  should  take  advantage 
of  as  soon  as  he  sees  it. 

Therefore,  let  the  young  pitcher  deliver 
straight  balls  until  he  can  lay  the  ball  accu- 
rately over  any  part  of  the  plate  he  wants  to. 
This  is  what  Big  Leaguers  call  "working  the 


corners." 


38     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

Now,  I  want  to  try  to  explain  why  the 
straight,  overhand  swing  is  more  valuable  in 
obtaining  control  than  either  the  side  arm  or 
the  rise  ball.  Study  Diagram  No.  1,  and  you 
will  observe  that  the  lines  drawn  up  from  the 
corners  of  the  plate  and  those  extended  from 
the  shoulders  and  the  line  of  the  knees  of  a 
batter  form  a  rectangle.  It  is  through  some 
part  of  this  rectangle  that  the  ball  must  pass 
to  be  called  a  strike.  Now,  if  you  are  pitching 
with  a  side  arm  motion,  you  are  throwing  at 
the  narrow  measurement  of  the  rectangle. 
That  is,  you  are  throwing  at  the  part  bounded 
by  the  lines  extended  up  from  the  edges  of  the 
plate,  which  is  only  seventeen  inches  wide, 
while  the  length  of  the  rectangle  depends  upon 
the  distance  between  the  batter's  knees  and  his 
shoulders.  This,  of  course,  varies  for  different 
men,  according  to  their  height,  but  is  always 
considerably  greater  than  the  width  of  the  rec- 
tangle. In  other  words,  when  you  are  using  a 
side  arm  motion,  you  are  pitching  at  a  space 
as  wide  as  the  plate,  while  the  straight  over- 
hand swing  gives  you  the  length  of  a  batter 
from  his  knees  to  his  shoulders  as  a  target. 
Therefore,  you  see  that  the  man  with  the 
straight  overhand  swing  has  a  much  better 
chance  of  getting  the  ball  over  the  plate  for  a 


f 
THE    PITCHER  39 

strike  than  the  one  who  employs  only  a  side 
arm  motion. 

Now  for  curves.  Of  course,  every  good 
pitcher  should  be  able  to  throw  curves.  Big 
Leaguers  recognize  only  one  kind  of  a  curve, 
which  is  the  drop,  but  most  youngsters  talk 
about  the  "out,"  which  breaks  away  from  the 
right-handed  batter;  the  "in,"  which  jumps 
toward  a  right-handed  batter,  and  the  "drop," 
not  to  mention  the  "out-drop."  Really,  there 
is  no  such  thing  as  an  in-curve.  It  is  next  to 
impossible  to  throw  a  ball  exactly  straight.  If 
the  ball  is  delivered  so  that  all  the  impetus 
possible  is  given  to  it  when  thrown  by  a  right- 
handed  pitcher,  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  ball 
will  jump  in  toward  the  right-handed  batter. 
This  is  not  a  curve,  but  a  shoot.  The  ball  has 
as  little  revolving  motion  as  possible  while 
passing  from  the  pitcher  to  the  catcher. 

Let  us  consider  this  fast  ball  first.  It 
should  be  held  so  that  none  of  the  fingers  touch 
a  seam.  Take  a  baseball,  and  yjou  will  find  it 
is  possible  to  hold  it  so  that  none  of  the  points 
of  contact  touch  the  seams.  The  advantage 
in  this  is  that  you  get  all  the  speed  out  of  the 
ball  with  as  little  revolving  motion  as  possible. 
When  the  fingers  touch  the  seams,  you  drag 
the  ball  back  just  before  you  let  go  of  it  and 


40     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

are  bound  to  put  "English"  on  it,  as  the  pool 
players  say.  By  "English,"  I  mean  that  pe- 
culiar twisting  motion  which  makes  a  ball 
break  and  curve  in  its  course.  I  shall  take 
that  up  later  in  discussing  the  curve.  See  Il- 
lustration No.  10  for  the  right  way  to  hold  the 
fast  ball.  Note  none  of  the  fingers  is  touch- 
ing a  seam. 

Now,  every  ball  that  is  pitched  should  be 
held  in  the  same  way.  It  is  not  the  manner  of 
holding  which  gives  the  variety  in  pitching, 
but  the  style  of  delivery.  Always  hold  the 
ball  with  the  thumb  and  the  first  two  fingers 
pressed  against  it.  Big  League  pitchers  who 
are  working  every  day,  either  in  a  game  or 
practice,  get  callouses  on  their  fingers  where 
the  ball  touches  them.  Many  boys  have  a  mis- 
taken notion  that  curves  and  shoots  are  ob- 
tained by  the  manner  in  which  the  ball  is  held. 
I  have  heard  youngsters  ask  if  two  fingers 
gave  an  out  and  one  an  in  and  so  on.  This 
is  not  so. 

Be  sure  to  hold  the  ball  with  the  thumb  and 
two  fingers,  and  do  not  think  you  have  to 
squeeze  the  life  out  of  it.  It  is  only  for  freak 
and  difficult  deliveries,  such  as  the  "knuckle 
ball,"  that  the  ball  is  gripped  otherwise  than 
with  the  two  fingers  and  thumb.  You  grip 


Diagram  No.'  I. 


Illustration  No.  10— -Position  of  fingers  and  thumb  for  fast  ball. 

,     .      ;  «    'N<c£ie  is  toachirig  the  seams  of  the  ball. 


THE    PITCHER  41 

the  ball  slightly  tighter  for  a  curve  than  a 
fast  one.  Never  wrap  your  hands  around  it, 
because  then  you  will  tip  the  batter  that  you 
are  going  to  pitch  a  curve,  you  will  lose  con- 
trol, and  display  general  bad  form.  Always 
cover  the  ball  with  your  glove  before  pitching. 

The  most  valuable  curve  for  a  young  fellow, 
I  should  say,  is  the  drop.  In  the  Big  League, 
what  is  known  as  the  old  "round-house"  curve 
is  no  good.  This  is  what  most  boys  label  the 
out-drop.  The  reason  it  is  not  deceptive  is 
because  the  ball  starts  to  curve  from  the  time 
it  leaves  the  pitcher's  hand,  and  the  batter  can 
see  it  curving  and  set  himself  for  it.  The 
sharper  the  break  to  a  curve,  the  more  valu- 
able it  is. 

I  would  advise  the  youngster  to  begin  im- 
mediately to  learn  to  pitch  the  drop  because, 
as  I  have  said,  the  out-curve  is  not  deceptive, 
for  one  thing,  and  it  is  hard  to  control,  for  an- 
other. 

Now,  to  attain  the  drop.  It  is  not  difficult 
if  my  pupils  will  simply  follow  my  instructions 
and  practice.  Grip  the  ball  with  the  first  two 
fingers  and  thumb,  as  I  have  said.  If  you 
wrap  your  whole  hand  around  it,  against  which 
proceeding  I  have  warned  you,  the  curve  will 
lose  its  sharp  break  and  you  will  get  the  out- 


42     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

drop  or  "round-house."  Grip  the  ball  rather 
loosely  with  the  two  fingers  and  the  thumb 
on  seams  (111.  No.  11).  If  a  boy  or  young 
man  will  take  a  baseball  and  experiment,  he 
will  see  that  the  thumb  and  two  fingers  can 
touch  seams  by  holding  a  ball  in  a  certain  way. 
It  is  easy  to  discover  how  the  ball  should  be 
held  by  experimenting.  By  getting  as  much 
leverage  as  possible  from  the  seams,  you  add 
to  the  friction  necessary  to  give  the  ball  the 
revolving  or  spinning  motion  from  which  the 
curve  results.  After  you  have  been  pitching 
for  a  time,  you  will  find  your  thumb  and  two 
fingers  are  calloused  from  where  they  touch 
the  seams. 

A  curve  ball  naturally  does  not  attain  as 
much  speed  as  the  fast  one  because  of  its 
spinning  motion  against  the  air.  A  fast  ball 
sails  more.  Therefore,  do  not  try  to  throw 
your  arm  out  in  delivering  a  curve.  Give  it 
plenty  of  impetus,  because  the  faster  a  curve 
breaks  the  more  effective,  but  do  not  attempt 
to  get  speed  at  the  cost  of  control  and  the 
curve. 

When  throwing  the  drop,  bring  the  arm 
straight  over  and  let  the  ball  spin  off  the  two 
fingers  with  which  it  is  gripped.  If  you  are  a 
right-handed  pitcher,  the  ball  spins  over  the 


THE    PITCHER  43 

index  finger  of  your  right  hand,  and,  if  left- 
handed,  vice  versa. 

Now  comes  the  important  part  about  throw- 
ing this  curve.  It  is  the  snap  of  the  wrist  just 
as  the  ball  is  leaving  the  hand  which  makes  it 
curve.  Bring  the  hand  straight  over  from  the 
shoulder,  getting  as  much  of  the  back  and  body 
into  the  pitch  as  possible,  and  then,  just  as 
you  let  the  ball  go,  snap  the  wrist  to  give  it 
the  rotary  motion.  The  whole  thing  is  accom- 
plished with  the  wrist  and  arm,  and  it  is  this 
necessary  snap  which  makes  it  difficult  for  a 
pitcher  to  throw  curve  after  curve.  It  is  very 
wearing  on  the  arm. 

Now,  to  go  over  it  again,  because  it  is  im- 
portant. Grip  the  ball  rather  loosely  with  the 
thumb  and  first  two  fingers,  with  each  touch- 
ing a  seam  for  the  friction  obtained.  Bring 
the  arm  straight  over,  and,  as  the  ball  goes  off 
over  the  side  of  your  index  finger,  snap  your 
wrist  toward  the  ground.  In  pitching  the 
drop,  the  palm  of  the  hand  of  a  right-handed 
pitcher  is  toward  first  base.  That  of  a  left- 
hander is  toward  third.  The  important  things 
to  remember  about  throwing  this  curve  are  to 
grip  the  ball  with  two  fingers  and  the  thumb, 
all  touching  the  seams  (the  third  finger  barely 
touches  the  ball  and  does  not  grip  it  at  all), 


44     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

swing  the  arm  straight  over  with  the  shoulder 
as  a  pivot,  and  give  the  wrist  the  final  snap. 
Of  course,  do  not  exaggerate  this  gripping  of 
the  ball  with  only  two  fingers.  Do  not  stick 
your  third  and  fourth  fingers  out  straight  from 
it  as  though  they  would  get  poisoned  if  they 
touch  it,  but  do  not  apply  any  pressure  with 
these  two  digits.  The  ball  goes  right  over  the 
two  fingers  and  inside  of  the  thumb — not  out- 
side— as  it  leaves  the  hand. 

Now,  according  to  theory,  if  the  arm  is 
brought  over  exactly  vertically  with  the  shoul- 
der as  a  pivot,  and  the  palm  of  the  hand  fac- 
ing first,  the  ball  should  break  down.  But, 
with  right-handed  pitchers,  there  is  always  a 
tendency  for  it  to  break  away  from  the  batter 
and,  with  left-handers,  toward  him,  consider- 
ing the  hitter  to  be  right-handed.  By  turning 
the  palm  over  a  little  so  that  it  is  more  toward 
the  sky  than  first  base,  you  will  get  it  to  break 
out  more,  and  you  will  also  get  the  drop,  too, 
but  not  so  deep  a  drop.  By  turning  the  hand 
entirely  over  so  that  the  palm  is  toward  the 
sky,  you  get  nothing  but  the  plain  out-curve 
with  no  drop.  Against  this  I  have  already  ad- 
vised. The  point  is  to  acquire  a  sharp-break- 
ing curve  and  not  one  which  starts  to  curve 
from  the  time  the  ball  leaves  the  hand  and  can 


THE   PITCHER  45 

be  identified  by  the  batter  at  once.  The  sharp 
break  can  only  be  obtained  with  practice  and 
by  following  the  rules  I  have  laid  down. 
Any  boy  can  throw  an  out-curve  and  almost 
any  batter  can  hit  it.  Do  not  practice  on  this. 
Get  the  up  and  down  snap  of  the  wrist,  and 
you  have  the  drop. 

In  throwing  what  is  called,  in  the  parlance 
of  the  Big  League,  the  drop  curve,  which  is 
the  ball  I  have  been  talking  about  that  breaks 
down  sharply  and  away  from  the  batter,  better 
results  can  be  obtained  by  aiming  the  ball  at 
the  batter  and  letting  it  break  away  from  him 
and  over  the  plate.  This  curve  is  obtained  in 
the  same  way  as  a  drop,  except  that  the  hand 
is  turned  over  slightly,  with  the  palm  at  an 
angle  about  half-way  between  the  sky  and  the 
first  baseman,  with  a  right-hander.  Do  not 
turn  it  all  the  way  over  so  that  it  faces  the 
sky  or  you  will  get  no  drop  at  all  and  nothing 
but  the  out-curve. 

The  reason  I  recommend  starting  the  drop- 
curve  at  the  batter  is  because  you  will  have  it 
called  a  strike,  whether  he  hits  at  it  or  not, 
since  it  should  break  over  the  plate.  I  never 
urge  a  pitcher  of  mine  to  aim  at  the  batter 
deliberately,  with  the  idea  of  injuring  him.  It 
is  foolish  and  dangerous  and  unsportsmanlike. 


46     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

Occasionally,  if  the  batter  crowds  the  plate,  it 
may  be  well  to  sail  in  a  fast  one  close  to  him 
to  drive  him  back.  But  in  these  lessons  I  shall 
not  recommend  any  measures  which  will  put 
the  opponents  to  unnecessary  risk  of  injuries. 

Now,  in  throwing  the  curve  ball,  keep  it 
low  and  you  will  get  better  results.  That  is,  I 
mean  if  you  start  a  drop-curve  at  a  batter's 
waist  and  let  it  break  so  that  it  crosses  the  plate 
about  at  his  knees  or  just  above,  you  will  find 
it  harder  for  the  average  batter  to  hit.  You 
also  get  a  better  break  to  the  curve.  The  ex- 
planation of  this  is  that  you  get  more  leverage 
on  the  ball  because,  when  aimed  low,  it  does 
not  leave  your  hand  as  soon  as  when  it  is  aimed 
high  and  you  get  just  that  much  additional 
force  into  it  and  can  get  a  better  snap  of  the 
wrist  with  the  longer  swing  to  the  arm.  Try 
this  and  see  if  it  is  not  true.  Therefore,  as  a 
general  thing,  I  would  advise  the  youngster  to 
keep  the  drop  low,  unless  he  knows  the  batter 
is  a  natural  low  ball  hitter.  Then  it  would  be 
suicidal  to  pitch  at  his  strength.  The  ball  must 
be  started  so  as  to  break  across  the  batter's 
shoulders  or  just  below  in  that  case. 

Just  one  more  word  about  the  fast  ball,  and 
I  am  through  for  this  lesson.  The  most  effec- 
tive fast  ball  has  a  hop  toward  the  right-handed 


THE    PITCHER  47 

batter  when  delivered  by  a  right  hander.  In 
giving  examples  in  these  lessons  we  will  take 
it  for  granted  that  both  the  pitcher  and  batter 
are  right  handed  unless  I  signify  otherwise. 
The  reverse  of  anything  I  may  say  for  right 
handers  is  true  for  southpaws.  But  this  hop 
on  the  fast  ball  cannot  be  obtained  all  the  time. 
Do  not  be  discouraged  if  you  fail  to  get  it  at 
first.  Even  Big  League  pitchers  lack  the  hop 
on  their  fast  one  some  days.  Then  we  say 
they  have  an  off  day.  Nobody  knows  why 
they  fail  to  get  the  jump  to  it.  It  is  one  of 
the  mysteries  of  baseball.  In  throwing  the  fast 
ball  do  not  give  it  any  spinning  motion,  and 
let  it  slip  off  the  end  of  the  first  two  fingers 
with  as  little  friction  as  possible  so  that  it  will 
sail  rather  than  spin.  By  trying  it,  you  will 
find  a  baseball  can  also  be  held  so  that  none 
of  the  fingers  with  which  you  grip  it  touch  a 
seam.  Remember,  those  are  the  first  two  and 
the  thumb.  There  is  no  snap  of  the  wrist  in 
throwing  this  ball.  The  overhand  pitcher 
brings  his  arm  straight  over  from  the  shoul- 
der and  lets  it  go  off  the  ends  of  his  fingers. 
The  hop  is  not  a  curve,  but  a  shoot. 


IV 

THE  PITCHER 

The  slow  ball,  the  spitter,  freak  deliveries,  and 
fielding  the  position 

IN  discussing  pitching  under  this  head,  I 
want  to  say  that  the  only  other  impor- 
tant asset  which  a  pitcher  can  possess 
outside  of  those  I  have  gone  over  in  the  first 
two  lessons  is  a  slow  ball.     This  gives  him 
the  benefit  of  a  change  of  pace  that  is  valu- 
able in  fooling  batters,  but  many  great  pitchers 
have  served  out  their  Big  League  careers  with- 
out ever  attaining  the  slow  or  "creep"  delivery. 
It  is  a  hard  one  to  get. 

The  slow  ball  is  obtained  with  the  same  mo- 
tion as  the  fast  one,  but  it  is  the  result  of  the 
manner  of  delivery.  Hold  the  ball  with  the 
first  two  fingers  and  thumb,  but  grip  it  very 
loosely,  as  delicately  as  you  would  a  thin  shelled 
egg.  Take  your  windup  as  for  speed  or  a 
curve,  but  as  you  let  go  of  the  ball  relax  your 
fingers  so  that  they  are  barely  touching  it,  and 

48 


THE    PITCHER  49 

all  the  impetus  which  would  ordinarily  be  given 
the  ball  by  the  swing  of  the  arm  and  the  drive 
of  the  body  is  lost  because  of  the  relaxed 
fingers.  A  good  slow  ball  is  hard  to  get  and 
can  be  obtained  only  by  the  most  careful  prac- 
tice and  patience. 

The  first  thing  to  be  remembered  in  con- 
nection with  the  slow  ball  is  that  you  must  not 
alter  your  style  in  delivering  it.  If  you  do, 
the  batter  is  tipped  off  right  away  as  to  what  is 
coming,  and  the  slow  ball  loses  its  value,  be- 
cause it  is  the  change  of  pace  from  speed  to 
slow  one  that  fools  him.  If  the  batter  gets  a 
chance  to  set  himself  for  the  ball,  he  can  hit  it. 
He  must  not  be  able  to  time  the  ball.  Let  me 
repeat  the  prescription  for  this  change  of  pace 
or  slow  ball.  Grip  it  as  you  would  an  egg 
and  then  let  it  float  out  of  your  hand  "dead." 

The  slow  ball  should  not  spin  in  its  journey 
from  the  pitcher  to  the  catcher.  "Doc"  White, 
the  left  hander  formerly  with  the  Chicago 
White  Sox,  was  a  great  master  of  the  slow  ball. 
It  is  said  that  his  slow  one  went  to  the  batter 
without  a  single  revolution,  but  that  instead 
of  describing  a  simple  parabola,  as  would  be 
expected,  it  wandered  from  side  to  side  in  an 
irregular  line  or  drifts.  Some  pitchers  spin 
the  slow  ball  and  get  the  slow  curve  by  apply- 


50     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

ing  the  same  spinning  motion  and  style  of  de- 
livery to  it  which  result  in  the  ordinary  curve 
ball.  To  get  this  slow  drop  curve  let  the  ball 
spin  over  the  tops  of  the  first  two  fingers  and 
inside  the  thumb,  getting  the  friction  from  the 
hold  on  the  seams.  For  the  ordinary  slow  or 
drift  ball,  it  should  be  held  without  touching 
the  seams,  as  for  the  fast  one. 

A  man  must  use  judgment  in  working  the 
change  of  pace.  He  cannot  throw  up  one 
slow  ball  after  another  and  expect  to  get  away 
with  it.  After  letting  loose  some  speed  and  a 
curve,  he  should  work  in  a  slow  ball,  and  the 
batter  has  swung  before  he  realizes  the  altera- 
tion in  the  speed  if  the  pitcher  has  been  clever 
in  springing  it.  What  the  pitcher  wants  to 
do  is  to  make  it  unexpected — a  surprise. 

Now  for  the  spitball.  When  this  delivery 
was  discovered  a  few  years  ago,  the  craze  for 
it  swept  over  the  country,  and  many  asserted 
it  would  revolutionize  pitching  and  put  all  the 
old  boys,  who  depended  on  speed  and  curves, 
out  of  the  going.  First  of  all,  I  want  to  warn 
young  pitchers  against  this  form  of  delivery  if 
they  can  get  along  without  it.  The  spitball 
is  hard  on  the  arm  of  most  pitchers  because  it 
has  to  be  delivered  "dead" — that  is,  without  the 
revolving  motion  common  to  the  curve.  This 


THE   PITCHER  51 

requires  much  wear  and  tear  on  the  arm,  since 
the  deadness  is  obtained  by  the  application  of 
the  spit  and  jerking  the  ball  out  of  the  hand 
instead  of  sliding  it  out  as  with  the  ordinary 
fast  ball.  Several  seasons  ago,  it  was  thought 
that,  in  order  to  throw  the  spitter,  the  ball  had 
to  be  pretty  nearly  drowned — that  is,  wet  all 
over  its  surface.  Most  spitball  pitchers  did 
this,  and  it  had  disastrous  results  because  it 
made  the  ball  hard  for  the  fielders  and  catcher 
to  handle  and  resulted  in  many  errors. 

Students  of  the  delivery  have  discovered  that 
the  ball  will  break  just  as  well  if  only  that  part 
of  the  surface  which  is  touched  with  the  two 
fingers  that  are  applied  to  the  ball  is  moistened. 
"Ed"  Walsh,  the  great  spitball  pitcher  of  the 
Chicago  White  Sox,  wets  a  place  only  about 
as  large  as  a  half  dollar,  and  this  is  of  great 
benefit  to  the  fielders  because  when  the  ball  is 
all  "messed  up"  it  makes  it  very  hard  to  handle. 
In  pitching  the  spitball,  grip  the  ball  so  that 
neither  the  fingers  nor  the  thumb  touch  a  seam, 
as  for  the  fast  one.  The  friction  from  the 
seams  gives  it  the  undesired  spinning  motion 
and  spoils  the  effect. 

For  a  long  time  pitchers  had  great  difficulty 
in  controlling  the  spitball,  and  many  constant 
users  of  this  delivery  cannot  tell  you  now  which 


52     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

way  it  will  break  when  they  throw  it.  The  ball 
always  breaks  down  (except  in  rare  instances, 
which,  for  the  present,  can  be  disregarded), 
but  now  it  will  jump  toward  a  right  handed 
batter  and  again  away  from  him  without  any 
apparent  rhyme  or  reason  in  the  method  of 
delivery.  Walsh,  who  is  the  best  example 
among  the  spitball  pitchers,  can  tell  you  which 
way  his  ball  will  break,  and  he  attributes  this 
control  to  a  slight  spin  he  gives  the  ball  as  he 
releases  it  from  his  hand.  The  spitball  of  most 
pitchers  goes  up  to  the  batter  "dead" — that  is, 
without  any  spin,  maybe  turning  over  once  be- 
tween the  pitcher  and  the  catcher.  Walsh's 
revolves  five  or  six  times.  Now,  when  Walsh 
delivers  the  ball  so  that  his  arm  comes  straight 
over  with  the  thumb  toward  the  ground,  the 
ball  breaks  straight  down  like  a  drop  curve, 
only  the  break  is  much  sharper.  When  he 
turns  his  hand  over  slightly  so  that  the  two 
fingers  are  toward  third  base  and  the  thumb 
at  an  angle  toward  first,  the  ball  will  break 
down  and  out  from  a  right  handed  batter. 
The  thumb,  in  pitching  this,  is  at  an  angle  of 
about  forty-five  degrees  from  the  ground.  By 
turning  the  hand  over  so  that  the  thumb  is  to- 
ward third  and  the  two  fingers  toward  first  at 
the  same  angle  as  before  the  ball  will  break 


THE    PITCHER  53 

in.     Notice  the   accompanying  illustrations. 

Now,  Walsh  has  the  most  peculiar  break  to 
his  spitter  of  any  exponent  of  that  delivery 
I  ever  saw.  By  turning  his  hand  entirely  over 
so  that  the  two  fingers  are  toward  the  ground 
and  his  thumb  toward  the  sky,  he  can  get  a 
slight  and  very  unusual  up  jump  on  the  ball 
when  he  delivers  it  with  an  underhand  motion. 
The  reader  will  see  by  these  explanations  that 
the  ball  always  breaks  toward  the  position  of 
the  thumb,  and  Walsh,  himself,  attributes  this 
to  the  slight  spin  given  the  ball  by  the  thumb 
just  before  he  lets  go  of  it  (Ills.  Nos.  12 
and  13). 

In  talking  to  young  fellows  about  the  spit- 
ter, I  am  getting  into  higher  baseball,  and 
delving  into  deliveries  which  are  hard  to  mas- 
ter without  active  coaching  by  an  expert.  The 
result  from  a  spitter  can  be  obtained  by  wet- 
ting the  ball  on  the  spot  where  the  two  fingers, 
with  which  it  is  gripped,  touch  it.  Then  let 
the  ball  go  off  the  ends  of  the  fingers  with 
speed  and  without  friction,  as  in  delivering  the 
fast  one,  and  give  the  wrist  a  backward  jerk 
just  as  the  ball  leaves  the  hand.  This  jerk 
supplies  the  ball  with  its  extra  speed  and  lets 
it  shoot  out  of  the  hand  as  out  of  a  sling.  But 
the  resultant  jolt  is  hard  on  the  arm. 


54     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

The  cross-fire  is  confined  largely  to  tall  men 
because  the  pitcher  using  it  has  to  take  a  long 
step  out  of  the  box  to  get  results.  The  inten- 
tion is  not  to  fool  the  batter  by  any  curve  or 
break  on  the  ball,  but  by  the  angle  at  which  it 
comes  at  him.  Therefore,  a  cross-fire  pitcher 
must  vary  the  angle  constantly.  Sallee,  the 
tall  pitcher  of  the  St.  Louis  Nationals,  is  a 
splendid  example  of  the  cross-fire  pitcher.  He 
has  the  slim  build  and  length  of  arm  and 
body. 

The  cross-fire  is  delivered  in  the  same  way  as 
a  fast  ball.  The  ball  is  gripped  with  the  thumb 
and  first  two  fingers,  used  in  all  pitching,  but 
the  step  and  body  bring  the  results.  A  right 
hander  who  uses  the  cross-fire  steps  out  of  the 
box  toward  third  base  with  his  left  foot  and 
shoots  the  ball  from  the  extreme  angle  with 
his  right  foot  just  touching  the  rubber.  The 
batter  gets  the  impression  the  ball  is  coming 
at  him  and  steps  back.  It  may  cut  the  outside 
corner  of  the  plate.  A  young  ball  player 
is  likely  to  get  badly  tangled  up  in  delivering 
this  ball  if  he  is  not  careful.  The  final  position 
often  brings  him  all  out  of  position  to  field  any 
hits  which  may  result.  It  is  another  style  of 
delivery  to  avoid.  At  best,  it  must  be  mixed 
with  other  deliveries  to  be  effective  because 


THE   PITCHER  55 

the  result  is  obtained  from  the  unexpected 
angle  and  not  from  the  break  on  the  ball. 

The  fadeaway,  of  which  Christy  Mathewson 
of  the  Giants  is  practically  the  only  exponent 
in  baseball,  and  a  delivery  likely  to  die  with 
him  when  he  quits  the  game,  and  the  "knuckle" 
or  "finger  nail"  ball  come  under  the  head  of 
freak  deliveries.  It  would  be  foolhardy  for 
a  young  pitcher  to  try  to  perfect  these  two 
short  of  the  Big  League.  If  he  cares  to,  there 
is  no  harm  in  attempting  these  freak  deliveries 
in  practice,  but  they  are  too  hard  to  control 
to  risk  in  a  game.  I  have  seen  Mathewson  try 
time  and  again  to  show  pitchers  in  the  Big 
League  how  to  throw  the  fadeaway,  even 
twirlers  on  rival  clubs,  but  none,  besides  him, 
has  ever  been  able  to  use  it  successfully.  Some 
get  it  but  cannot  control  the  ball.  Ames  can 
throw  it  sometimes,  and  Drucke,  formerly  of 
the  Giants,  got  the  best  results  outside  of 
Mathewson,  but  he  never  got  good  enough 
control  to  risk  its  use  in  a  game. 

It  is  easy  to  tell  how  to  throw  the  fadeaway. 
The  results  are  hard  to  achieve.  In  delivering 
an  outcurve,  the  ball  is  held  by  a  right  bander 
with  the  two  fingers  and  the  thumb,  with  the 
thumb  pointing  toward  third  base  and  the  palm 
of  the  hand  held  toward  the  sky.  This  gives 


56     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

the  ball  a  spinning  motion  when  it  slips  off  the 
end  of  the  thumb  with  a  jerk  of  the  wrist  that 
causes  it  to  break  away  from  a  right  handed 
batter.  Now,  in  getting  the  fadeaway,  the  ball 
is  held  in  just  the  same  manner  as  for  an  out- 
curve,  but  the  hand  is  turned  over  so  that  the 
palm  is  toward  the  ground  instead  of  the  sky, 
putting  the  hand  in  an  awkward  position. 
Then  the  ball  is  released  off  the  end  of  the 
thumb  with  the  snap  of  the  wrist  characteristic 
of  the  outcurve,  only  the  hand  is  jerked  toward 
third  base  instead  of  first  as  with  the  outcurve. 
The  result  is  a  slow  incurve  toward  a  right- 
handed  batter,  a  very  valuable  thing  if  proper- 
ly used. 

Two  things  make  this  ball  difficult  to  de- 
liver. One  is  the  unnatural  position  of  the 
hand,  with  the  palm  toward  the  ground.  This 
means  that,  in  getting  the  final  jerk,  you  get 
it  away  from  the  body  instead  of  toward  it,  as 
in  other  curves.  The  other  .hard  thing  about 
it  is  just  that  jerk.  Pitchers  do  not  seem  to 
be  able  to  get  it  right  and  control  the  ball  at 
the  same  time — only  Mathewson,  and  he  says 
it  took  months  of  patient  work  to  accomplish 
it.  He  uses  it  for  a  slow  ball  because,  neces- 
sitating that  difficult  snap  of  the  wrist,  it  can- 
not be  thrown  fast.  The  ball  comes  up  to  the 


Illustration  No.  15— Frank  Cham*  tearing  fr?^  -I%>Ue/Aiat  he 
has  given  the  runner  room  to  cross  the  bag.     Correct  form 


£.3 

?e 


r? 
11 


THE   PITCHER  57 

batter  lazily  and  falls  down  and  toward  him 
after  seeming  to  pause  for  a  moment  in  front 
of  him.  It  is  a  remarkable  and  very  deceptive 
curve. 

Much  has  been  written  and  said  of  the 
"knuckle"  or  "finger  nail"  ball.  It  is  one  of 
the  hardest  to  pitch  and  has  been  mastered 
by  very  few  twirlers.  The  preliminary  posi- 
tion of  the  hand  in  delivering  it  is  as  for  the 
straight  ball,  gripping  it  with  the  two  fingers 
and  the  thumb.  But,  as  the  arm  is  drawn  back, 
the  two  fingers  are  cocked  on  the  ball  as  though 
you  were  going  to  flick  off  a  piece  of  paper. 
(Illustration  No.  14.)  Then,  as  the  ball  is 
let  go,  the  fingers  are  snapped  out  straight, 
which  causes  the  ball  to  sail  up  to  the  batter 
"dead"  and  act  very  much  the  same  as  the  spit- 
ball  does.  The  peculiar  snap  of  the  fingers  as 
the  ball  is  let  go  at  the^full  swing  of  the  arm 
does  this  and  gives  it  the  "dead"  set.  The  ball 
breaks  down.  I  would  not  advise  any  one  to 
try  this.  The  fingers  do  not  touch  the  seams  in 
pitching  this  ball. 

That  about  clears  up  the  freak  deliveries. 
But  there  is  a  lot  of  good  pitching  besides 
throwing  the  ball.  Fielding  is  very  important. 
A  pitcher  who  cannot  field  his  position  is  very 
nearly  helpless  because  the  opposing  side  will 


58     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

start  to  bunt  the  ball  and  beat  him  sure.  Only 
practice  will  accomplish  good  fielding.  I  take 
my  young  pitchers  in  the  Spring  and  send  the 
practice  batters  up  to  the  plate  with  orders  to 
do  nothing  but  bunt.  This  gives  them  a  chance 
to  learn  how  to  lay  the  ball  down,  and  shows 
the  pitchers  how  to  field  it.  A  pitcher,  in 
handling  bunts,  must  work  in  conjunction  with 
the  first  and  third  basemen  and  not  mix  up  the 
plays.  If  the  ball  goes  toward  third,  let  him 
yell  at  the  third  baseman  to  get  it,  if  he  sees 
that  this  man  can  field  the  ball,  and  keep  out 
of  his  way.  When  the  pitcher  is  expecting  a 
bunt,  he  should  follow  the  pitch  through  and 
take  a  step  or  two  toward  the  plate  after  he 
delivers  the  ball  and  stand  poised  on  his  toes 
ready  to  field  the  bunt  fast.  Do  not  approach 
too  close  to  the  batter  because,  if  he  drives  the 
ball,  you  are  liable  to  be  hurt. 

The  pitcher  must  learn  to  back  up  throws 
and  cover  first  base.  On  a  hit  toward  the  first 
baseman  between  first  and  second,  the  pitcher 
should  run  over  and  cover  the  bag  so  that  he 
can  take  the  throw  and  give  the  first  baseman 
a  chance  to  field  the  ball.  The  pitcher  should 
also  cover  first  on  slow  hits  down  the  first  base 
line  which  the  first  baseman  must  field.  If  the 
pitcher  will  cover  first  base,  he  will  find  that 


THE    PITCHER  59 

his  first  baseman  can  cover  ground  like  a  short- 
stop and  knock  down  a  lot  of  hits  for  him  that 
would  get  away  otherwise.  A  first  baseman 
must  get  to  depend  upon  his  pitcher  to  cover 
so  that  he  can  go  after  balls  with  confidence. 
The  pitcher  should  start  as  soon  as  he  sees  that 
the  ball  is  hit  toward  first  base  so  as  to  get  to 
the  bag  in  time,  and  yell :  "I'll  cover  the  bag." 
Then  the  play  is  not  balled  up. 

In  addition  to  fielding,  the  pitcher  must 
learn  to  back  up  on  certain  plays.  On  a  throw 
to  third  base  from  the  outfield,  the  pitcher 
should  be  over  behind  the  bag.  Many  a  game 
has  been  lost  because  the  ball  gets  by  a  third 
baseman  on  a  bad  bound  and  there  is  no  one 
behind  to  back  up.  The  runner  is  sure  to  score. 
The  pitcher  should  also  back  up  the  plate  on 
throws  home.  If  the  ball  gets  by  the  catcher, 
this  backing  up  prevents  runners  on  the  bases 
advancing  or  the  possibility  of  the  man  who 
has  stopped  on  third  base  scoring.  This  back- 
ing up  of  plays  is  important  and  will  save 
close  games  day  after  day.  Do  not  be  lazy 
about  it.  Because  it  was  unnecessary  twice, 
do  not  refuse  to  back  up  the  third  time. 

A  pitcher  cannot  be  too  careful  with  his 
catcher  in  arranging  the  signs.  As  I  said  in 
the  lesson  on  catching,  there  should  be  two  or 


60     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

three  sets  so  that,  if  it  is  thought  the  other  club 
is  getting  your  signals,  you  can  switch  to  an- 
other set.  Sometimes  the  pitcher  gives  the 
signs  himself  by  nodding  his  head,  and  then 
the  catcher  always  gives  fake  signals,  intended 
to  throw  off  the  other  side. 

Be  careful  never  to  cross  your  catcher. 
What  I  mean  by  this  is,  that  if  he  signs  you 
for  a  fast  ball  and  you  approve  of  it,  do  not 
hand  him  a  curve.  He  is  not  looking  for  it, 
and  the  ball  may  get  away  from  him.  Passed 
balls  are  one  of  the  most  costly  things  in  base- 
ball, and  the  pitcher  is  quite  as  often  to  blame 
for  them  as  the  catcher  because  he  crosses  his 
receiver.  Be  sure  that  you  have  received  the 
sign  the  catcher  is  giving,  and  then  deliver  the 
sort  of  ball  he  asks  for.  If  you  disagree  with 
him  in  his  judgment,  shake  your  head,  no,  and 
make  him  change  his  sign.  But  never  cross 
him  and  be  sure  that  you  have  his  signal  right 
before  you  pitch. 

Judging  the  batters  is  another  branch  of  the 
pitching  art.  By  judging  batters,  I  mean 
studying  them  to  get  at  their  weaknesses. 
When  you  first  look  at  a  man's  position  at  the 
plate  and  his  manner  of  holding  the  bat,  you 
can  get  a  line  on  the  kind  of  balls  he  likes  and 
those  he  dislikes.  If  he  stands  far  away  from 


THE    PITCHER  61 

the  plate,  he  probably  likes  balls  on  the  inside, 
and  the  thing  to  do  then  is  to  keep  the  ball 
on  the  outside  of  the  plate  so  that  he  cannot 
reach  it.  If  a  man  crowds  the  plate  drive  him 
back  and  then  keep  the  ball  on  the  inside.  He 
likes  them  on  the  outside. 

Some  men  are  natural  curve  ball  hitters.  If 
a  player  uppercuts  the  ball,  you  can  be  sure 
he  likes  them  low  and  can  hit  curves.  By  up- 
percutting  the  ball,  I  mean  he  pulls  his  bat 
up  when  he  swings,  starting  it  low  rather  than 
pushing  down  on  the  ball.  Sherwood  Magee, 
the  great  hitter  of  the  Philadelphia  Club,  is 
this  type  of  batsman.  You  want  to  pitch  high 
to  such  a  man.  If  you  find  a  young  batsman 
pulling  away  from  the  plate,  drive  him  back 
first  by  scaring  him  with  a  close  one  and  then 
keep  the  ball  on  the  outside  of  the  plate. 

Always  try  to  outguess  the  batter  by  giving 
him  the  delivery  he  is  not  expecting.  Mix  them 
up  as  much  as  possible,  but  try  to  keep  him  in 
the  hole  rather  than  yourself.  By  keeping  him 
in  the  hole,  I  mean  get  more  strikes  than  balls 
on  him.  If  you  do  get  into  the  hole, — that  is, 
with  three  balls  and  no  strikes  or  one  strike  on 
the  batter — do  not  try  to  put  over  a  curve 
unless  you  have  excellent  control  of  it.  And 
even  in  this  situation  I  would  not  advise  cut- 


62     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

ting  the  heart  of  the  plate  with  the  ball  because 
it  is  better  to  walk  a  man  than  to  lay  the  ball 
where  .he  can  drive  it  for  two  or  three  bases. 
Try  to  keep  the  ball  on  the  plate,  but  over  the 
edges,  where  he  cannot  hit  it  well.  You  must 
use  your  judgment  in  each  particular  instance. 
Whenever  you  notice  a  weakness  in  a  man,  put 
it  down  in  your  mind  and  use  your  knowledge 
against  him.  If  you  expect  a  batter  to  bunt, 
keep  the  ball  high.  It  is  hard  to  bunt  a  high 
one.  To  acquire  the  art  of  judging  batters, 
a  pitcher  must  learn  much  of  what  he  uses 
through  actual  experience. 


FIRST  BASE 

SO  far  we  have  been  considering  the 
men  on  a  ball  club  who  are  pillars  of 
strength  on  the  defence,  and  in.  whom 
speed  is  not  essential — the  pitcher  and  the 
catcher.  But  now  I  come  to  discuss  the  in- 
fielders  and  outfielders,  in  both  places  fast  men 
being  far  superior  to  slow  ones.  Good  batsmen 
are  also  desirable  both  in  the  infield  and  out, 
but  particularly  in  the  outfield. 

The  successful  infielder  must  be  fast  on  his 
feet  and  a  quick  thinker.  He  must  be  in  touch 
with  the  game  all  the  time  and  keep  a  close 
eye  on  both  the  catcher  and  the  other  infielders 
for  signs.  His  work  fits  into  the  infield  as  a 
cog  into  a  machine.  If  he  fails  to  perform  his 
share,  the  whole  machine  falls  apart. 

Personally,  I  like  fairly  big  men  to  cover 
first  base,  although  the  old  theory  that  a  man 
must  be  six  feet  high  to  get  away  with  it  has 
long  since  been  dissipated. 

The  man  who  covers  the  initial  bag  has  to 
63 


64     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

do  as  much  thinking  as  any  player  in  the  in- 
field, for  numerous  plays  revolve  around  him 
in  every  game  that  may  cost  the  victory.  Of 
course,  the  routine  work  of  playing  the  bag  is 
easy  enough  if  he  can  catch  a  thrown  ball.  I 
am  going  to  take  it  for  granted  that  the  can- 
didate for  the  job  knows  how  to  do  this.  He 
should  always  let  his  hands  give  with  the  ball 
and  try  to  swing  them  toward  the  natural  posi- 
tion for  throwing  so  that  he  is  ready  to  make 
a  play  to  any  other  bag  or  the  home  plate  if 
there  are  other  runners  on  the  bases.  The 
expert  first  baseman  soon  learns  how  to  shift 
his  body  so  as  to  receive  the  ball  on  his  right 
side,  if  he  is  a  right  hander,  and  vice  versa  if 
a  southpaw,  to  be  prepared  for  throwing,  but 
still  getting  his  body  slightly  behind  the  ball 
so  as  to  block  it  if  it  goes  through  his  hands. 
By  letting  his  hands  give  with  the  ball  when  he 
receives  it,  he  does  not  stand  so  much  chance 
of  muffing  it  because,  if  the  ball  hits  his  hands 
when  his  arms  are  stiff,  it  is  almost  sure  to 
bounce  out  of  his  hands.  It  is  also  liable  to 
bruise  his  hands  and  thus  prevent  him  from 
being  of  much  use  to  his  club  for  some  time. 

The  great  difficulty  about  playing  first  base 
is  the  position  in  covering  the  bag  so  as  not  to 
interfere  with  the  runner  and  still  get  thrown 


FIRST   BASE  65 

balls  from  all  sides  of  the  base.  This  requires 
the  footwork  of  a  boxer.  The  first  baseman 
must  also  be  able  to  handle  high  and  low  throws 
with  a  certain  amount  of  dexterity  because  the 
infielders  uncork  a  lot  of  bad  throws  in  their 
anxiety  to  get  the  ball  away  in  a  hurry.  The 
only  way  for  the  first  baseman  to  become  ex- 
pert in  the  mechanical  end  of  the  game  is 
through  practice.  By  the  mechanical  end,  I 
mean  handling  thrown  balls.  He  can  get  this 
practice  by  hanging  around  an  infield,  when 
batting  practice  is  going  on  or  when  some  one 
is  hitting  them  out  for  practice,  and  playing 
the  bag  for  the  other  infielders  to  throw  at 
him.  He  should  attempt  to  take  every  ball 
on  the  fly  that  he  can  without  pulling  himself 
off  the  bag  to  do  it.  Of  course,  a  first  baseman 
who  pulls  his  foot  off  the  base  is  of  no  use  be- 
cause he  loses  his  put-out  as  soon  as  he  does 
this  and  concedes  the  play  at  once. 

In  receiving  pickups,  the  results  are  obtained 
through  knack  acquired  by  practice.  It  is  the 
ability  to  judge  a  bounce,  and  you  should  shove 
your  hands  at  the  ball  and  up  in  the  same 
movement.  Keep  your  legs  together  as  much 
as  possible  so  as  to  prevent  the  ball  going 
through  you  if  you  miss  it  on  the  pickup,  but 
do  not  cramp  yourself  to  accomplish  this.  That 


66     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

is  the  mistake  many  coaches  make  in  instruct- 
ing young  ball  players.  They  make  them  keep 
their  legs  together  on  all  ground  hits,  and  they 
tie  themselves  up  into  such  awkward  knots  as 
a  result  that  they  have  not  a  chance  to  field  the 
ball.  There  is  one  thing  for  a  first  baseman  to 
remember  through  all  his  work,  and  that  is  he 
must  keep  his  foot  on  the  bag.  If  he  can  do 
this  and  block  the  ball  at  the  same  time,  then 
he  has  accomplished  just  that  much  more. 

The  foot  work  of  a  first  baseman  is  extreme- 
ly important.  He  must  be  shifty  on  his  feet 
and  move  about  rapidly  in  covering  the  base. 
There  is  one  cast  iron  rule  about  receiving 
throws  which  is  never  to  be  disregarded  except 
in  extreme  emergencies.  That  is  to  play  the 
bag  on  the  inside,  or  toward  the  pitcher,  when 
receiving  throws  from  the  infielders.  This  po- 
sition has  numerous  advantages.  In  the  first 
place,  by  assuming  it  you  cut  down  the  dis- 
tance the  infielders  must  throw  the  ball,  and  if 
the  decision  on  the  runner  at  first  base  is 
close,  you  may  get  it  by  the  reach  from  the 
inside  of  the  bag.  When  you  play  from  be- 
hind the  bag  in  covering,  you  will  find  yourself 
blocking  the  runner  and  will  receive  some  hard 
bumps.  Besides  that,  you  are  very  likely  to 
lose  the  ball  as  a  result  of  the  collision  and  may 


FIRST   BASE  67 

give  the  runner  an  extra  base  if  the  ball  rolls 
very  far. 

You  will  observe  that  none  of  the  good  first 
basemen  ever  collide  with  the  base  runner.  The 
runner  is  entitled  to  the  bag,  and  you  should 
give  it  to  him  by  playing  it  from  the  inside 
whenever  possible.  (111.  No.  15.)  I  mean 
you  should  run  in  from  the  position  where  you 
are  standing  toward  right  field  when  the  ball 
is  hit  and  touch  the  bag  with  the  heel  of  your 
left  foot,  with  your  right  foot  extended  to- 
ward second  and  facing  the  infielder  who  has 
received  the  ball.  This  gives  him  a  target  at 
which  to  throw.  If  you  see  that  the  ball  is 
going  to  arrive  on  the  other  side  of  the  bag 
out  of  reach  from  your  first  position,  shift 
over,  touching  the  other  corner  of  the  base  with 
your  right  heel  and  with  your  left  foot  in  foul 
territory.  Always  try  to  avoid  collisions. 

In  the  first  position  I  mentioned,  the  runner 
has  plenty  of  room  to  pass  behind  you  or  to 
cross  the  bag  between  you  and  the  foul  line. 
In  the  second,  he  has  an  opportunity  to  pass 
over  the  base  inside  of  you  toward  the  infield. 
You  will  find  yourself  a  very  much  more  suc- 
cessful and  a  healthier  first  baseman  if  you 
give  the  runners  a  chance  at  the  bag.  If  you 
have  to  go  up  in  the  air  after  a  ball,  jump  to 


68     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

land  on  the  inside  corner  of  the  bag  and  not  in 
the  path  of  the  base  runner.  By  practice,  you 
soon  learn  to  shift  your  position  so  as  not  to 
block. 

When  there  is  no  runner  on  first  base,  the 
first  baseman  stands  about  sixteen  feet  off  the 

I 

bag  and  about  twenty  feet  behind  the  first  base 
line  out  toward  right  field,  unless  there  is  a 
man  on  third  and  the  play  is  likely  to  be  at  the 
plate.  Of  course,  a  fast  man  can  take  more 
ground  away  from  the  bag  and  thus  cover  more 
territory  than  the  slower  one,  but  I  should  say 
that  twenty  feet  is  about  the  normal  distance. 
He  must  be  able  to  get  in  and  cover  the  bag 
in  time  to  receive  a  thrown  ball. 

If  the  ball  is  hit  at  him,  let  him  field  it  and 
run  to  the  base  and  touch  the  bag  if  possible. 
Every  time  a  ball  is  thrown  in  a  ball  game 
there  is  a  chance  of  a  bad  throw  or  a  muff 
taken,  so  that  if  the  first  baseman  can  beat  the 
runner  to  the  bag  with  the  ball,  he  is  just  that 
much  surer  of  getting  his  man.  However,  he 
should  learn  to  work  with  his  pitcher  on  hits 
of  this  kind.  If  he  will  insist  that  the  pitcher 
run  over  and  cover  the  bag,  he  will  find  he  can 
spread  himself  over  a  great  deal  of  ground. 
Every  time  that  a  ball  is  hit  toward  the  first 
baseman,  the  pitcher  should  run  over  to  cover 


FIRST    BASE  69 

in  case  it  is  necessary.  In  order  to  accomplish 
this,  the  pitcher  should  start  as  soon  as  he  sees 
the  ball  is  hit  at  the  first  baseman.  Then,  if 
his  services  are  not  needed,  he  can  slow  up  just 
before  he  reaches  the  bag  so  as  not  to  interfere, 
because  the  good  first  baseman  will  say:  "I've 
got  the  bag." 

But  when  the  hit  is  so  deep  that  a  throw 
must  be  made  to  the  pitcher,  the  first  baseman 
cannot  afford  to  get  excited.  This  is  one  of 
the  hardest  plays  in  baseball  to  make  success- 
fully, anyway,  because  he  must  time  his  throw 
to  cross  the  bag  just  as  the  pitcher,  who  is  run- 
ning at  it,  does,  and  the  pitcher  must  avoid 
collision  with  the  base  runner,  which  is  liable 
to  follow  because  their  paths  cross  at  the  bag. 
The  first  baseman  should  not  shoot  the  ball  or 
throw  it  hard  at  the  pitcher,  and  he  should 
not  deliver  it  until  the  twirler  has  almost 
reached  the  base.  Then  let  him  toss  it  at  the 
bag  and  not  at  the  running  man,  underhand 
preferably. 

After  a  man  gets  on  the  base,  the  position  of 
the  first  basenian  changes.  He  must  be  in 
there  to  hold  the  runner  close  to  the  bag  to 
prevent  him  from  getting  a  good  start  in  steal- 
ing. With  a  man  on  the  base,  he  stands  inside 
the  diamond  with  the  heel  of  his  left  foot  on  the 


70     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

bag  and  his  right  extended  out  toward  second 
base.  The  first  baseman  should  be  ready  to 
receive  a  throw  from  the  pitcher  at  any  time, 
and  no  signal  is  necessary  for  this  play.  In 
trying  to  touch  the  runner,  sweep  your  arm 
through  and  tag  with  the  same  motion  you 
make  in  catching  the  ball.  But  be  careful  the 
ball  is  surely  in  your  hands  before  you  try  to 
put  it  on  the  runner.  Many  men  attempt  to 
touch  a  man  before  they  have  the  ball.  Al- 
ways try  to  touch  him  every  time  you  receive 
the  ball. 

Never  dab  at  a  man  more  than  once  unless 
you  know  you  have  missed  him  the  first  time 
and  see  that  he  is  still  plainly  off  the  base.  By 
taking  a  second  stab  at  a  base  runner,  you 
admit  you  did  not  touch  him  the  first  time,  and 
maybe  the  umpire  thought  you  did  and  would 
have  called  him  out.  In  covering  the  base  to 
receive  a  thrown  ball  from  the  infield  after  the 
batter  has  hit  it,  always  face  the  man  who  is 
going  to  deliver  it.  Be  sure  that  you  have  your 
foot  on  the  bag.  This  sounds  like  foolish  ad- 
vice, but  it  is  very  often  necessary  even  after 
men  get  up  high  enough  for  a  Big  League 
trial.  In  their  anxiety  to  get  the  throw,  they 
forget  to  keep  their  foot  on  the  bag.  And  do 
not  take  your  foot  off  until  after  you  have 


FIRST   BASE  71 

received  the  ball.  This  is  a  habit  of  many  ball 
players  and  has  cost  lots  of  decisions. 

When  there  is  a  man  on  first  base,  as  soon 
as  the  pitcher  starts  to  deliver  the  ball  to  the 
batter,  the  first  baseman  should  run  down  the 
base  line  and  back  behind  it  a  little  to  cover 
more  ground.  Of  course,  the  base  runner  will 
take  a  lead  off  the  bag  with  the  drawing  back 
of  the  pitcher's  arm  to  deliver  the  ball  and 
many  times  he  will  try  to  fool  you  into  believ- 
ing that  he  is  going  to  steal  when  he  only  wants 
to  draw  a  throw.  Watch  him,  and  if  you  see 
he  is  really  going,  shout:  "There  he  goes." 

Frequently,  this  flash  will  get  to  the  pitcher 
before  he  delivers  the  ball  and  he  can  serve  up 
a  pitchout  so  that  the  catcher  will  have  a  better 
chance  of  getting  the  runner  at  second  base. 

But  in  some  respects  it  is  a  dangerous 
course  because  the  coacher  at  first  base  will 
endeavor  to  imitate  your  voice  and  shout: 
"There  he  goes!" 

Of  course,  the  batter  has  no  intention  of 
trying  to  steal,  but  the  coacher  at  first  base,  by 
his  sudden  shout,  has  fooled  the  pitcher  and 
he  cuts  loose  a  pitchout  which  gets  him  into  the 
hole  with  the  batter.  Therefore,  if  you  intend 
to  attempt  this  warning,  be  sure  to  arrange 
with  the  pitcher  beforehand  to  put  some  little 


72     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

cue  on  it.  For  instance,  tell  him  that  you  will 
shout  "There  he  goes  now."  The  "now"  will  be 
the  catchword.  The  coacher  will  not  notice 
this,  and  yell  only,  "There  he  goes,"  in  trying 
to  imitate  you.  If  the  coacher  gets  wise  to  it, 
shift  to  another  word,  as  "There  he  goes 
down,"  "down"  being  the  catchword.  Never 
shout  the  sign  to  the  pitcher  unless  you  are  sure 
the  base  runner  is  really  going  to  try  to  steal. 
You  only  make  trouble  for  the  pitcher  then. 

The  play  of  a  first  baseman  becomes  more 
complicated  as  soon  as  men  get  on  the  bases. 
If  the  score  is  close  and  a  man  is  on  third  base 
with  less  than  two  out,  the  entire  infield  moves 
in  toward  the  plate  so  as  to  make  the  play  to 
the  plate  and  cut  off  the  run.  If  there  is  a  man 
on  first  as  well  as  third  on  this  play  and  one  is 
out,  I  would  recommend  having  the  infield  play 
back  and  try  for  a  double  play.  In  this  way, 
the  infielders  are  able  to  cover  lots  more 
ground,  and  I  believe  that  a  double  play  is 
successful  oftener  than  one  to  the  plate  to  get 
the  runner. 

With  a  man  on  first  and  second  bases  and 
the  score  close  so  that  you  expect  a  sacrifice, 
the  first  baseman  should  play  well  down  the 
base  line,  probably  about  twenty  feet  toward 
the  plate.  Then  he  can  make  the  play  to  third 


i 


FIRST   BASE  73 

base,  forcing  the  man  there,  and  thus  getting 
the  runner  nearer  to  the  plate.  In  this  case 
the  second  baseman  covers  the  first  bag.  He 
moves  over  toward  first  before  the  pitch  until 
he  is  about  halfway  between  first  and  second 
bases,  and  runs  right  down  to  cover  the  bag 
if  he  sees  that  the  batter  has  laid  the  ball 
down.  The  first  baseman  edges  in  a  few 
steps  closer  on  the  pitch  if  anything,  but 
I  want  to  warn  a  man  about  getting  too  close 
to  the  hitter  because  a  clever  batter  will  cross 
you  and  drive  the  ball  at  you.  A  line  drive 
at  that  range  is  dangerous,  so,  if  you  cannot 
handle  it,  be  ready  to  duck  quick.  And  do  not 
make  the  play  to  third  base  unless  you  see  you 
have  a  good  chance  to  get  the  runner.  If 
the  man  on  second  is  speedy  and  is  only  a  few 
feet  from  third  by  the  time  you  have  fielded 
the  ball,  do  not  throw.  Remember  there  is  still 
the  natural  play  left.  Either  touch  the  run- 
ner going  to  first  base,  if  you  yet  have  time,  or 
whirl  and  throw  to  first,  where  the  second  base- 
man is  covering.  It  is  hard  to  get  a  fast  man 
going  to  third  base  on  this  play.  Never  throw 
unless  you  are  sure  of  nailing  him.  A  wild 
throw  will  cost  a  run. 

As  you  will  see,  when  you  read  the  article 
on  Team  Work,  the  first  baseman  must  have 


74     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

a  set  of  signs  with  the  catcher  and  other  in- 
fielders.  The  object  of  the  signs  with  the 
catcher  is  for  the  first  baseman  to  know  when 
the  catcher  intends  to  throw  down  to  nip  a  base 
runner  napping.  It  is  best  for  the  first  base- 
man to  give  this  sign  to  the  catcher,  but  let 
him  get  some  answer  confirming  it  so  he  will 
know  that  the  catcher  is  prepared.  Suppose 
he  thinks  a  base  runner  is  taking  too  large  a 
lead  off  with  the  pitch.  While  the  pitcher  has 
the  ball  in  the  box  after  the  catcher  has  given 
his  signs  to  him,  he  should  take  a  look  around 
the  infield  to  see  that  the  men  are  playing  all 
right.  Then  the  first  baseman  should  flash  a 
sign  meaning  he  will  cover  as  soon  as  the  catch- 
er gets  the  ball.  This  sign  must  be  some  simple 
and  commonplace  action  which  will  not  be  de- 
tected by  the  opponents.  For  instance,  the 
first  baseman  can  hike  up  his  trousers,  but  he 
must  remember  never  to  do  this  unconsciously 
when  he  does  not  mean  it.  The  catcher,  to 
acknowledge  the  receipt  of  the  sign,  reaches 
down  and  pats  his  glove  in  the  dirt.  Then  the 
first  baseman  immediately  runs  back  to  the  bag 
behind  the  baserunner  to  receive  a  throw  from 
the  catcher,  having  made  only  a  bluff  at  leav- 
ing it  to  fool  the  base  runner.  The  catcher 
throws  the  ball  as  soon  as  he  receives  it  because 


FIRST   BASE  75 

the  play  depends  on  the  speed  of  its  execution 
for  its  success.  The  first  baseman  must  be 
there  to  cover  and  must  tag  the  runner  quickly. 
Many  managers  advocate  the  first  baseman 
and  the  other  infielders  blocking  the  base  line 
on  a  long  hit  to  slow  up  the  runner  in  taking 
the  turns  and  give  the  outfielders  more  time. 
I  do  not  urge  any  of  my  players  to  take  an 
unfair  advantage,  but  each  one  should  assume 
the  position  at  the  bag  to  which  he  is  entitled 
by  the  rules.  For  instance,  the  first  baseman 
can  stand  at  the  inside  corner  of  the  oag  to 
make  sure  the  runner  takes  his  turn  instead  of 
cutting  just  the  corner  of  the  base  as  he  would 
if  the  first  baseman  had  not  stood  there.  Each 
man  should  watch  to  see  that  the  runner 
touches  every  bag,  too,  and,  if  he  does  not,  call 
the  umpire's  attention  to  it  at  once.  Do  not 
stand  on  the  bag  and  block  the  runner  alto- 
gether, because  it  is  against  the  rules  in  the  first 
place,  and,  in  the  second  place,  if  you  could 
get  away  with  it  the  members  of  the  other  club 
would  only  be  after  you.  There  is  no  use  in 
making  yourself  trouble.  Simply  stand  on  the 
inside  of  the  bag  and  make  the  runner  go 
around  you.  It  may  save  a  three-base  hit  or 
a  home  run. 


VI 

SECOND  BASE 

HE  position  of  second  base  is  one  of  the 
most  important  on  a  ball  club  because 
it  is  the  keystone  position    of  the 
whole  infield.    The  second  baseman  holds  the 
infield  together  and,  therefore,  he  must  be 
brainy.    He  also  must  be  courageous  because 
he  encounters  many  tough  plays  when  runners 
come  sliding  into  the  bag. 

The  second  baseman  may  be  slower  of  foot 
than  the  shortstop  or  third  baseman,  and  his 
arm  may  be  weaker  than  those  of  his  two  fel- 
low infielders  because  his  plays  to  first  base  are 
not  as  hurried  as  those  from  the  other  side  of 
the  diamond  as  a  rule.  Lajoie  and  "Johnny" 
Evers  are  examples  of  this.  Neither  one  has  a 
throwing  arm  of  exceptional  strength,  but  they 
are  two  of  the  best  second  basemen  in  the  game. 
The  second  baseman  is  supposed  to  be  a  better 
batter  than  the  shortstop  or  third  baseman 
because  speed  and  a  good  whip  are  required  of 

76 


SECOND   BASE  77 

the  latter  two,  while  they  are  not  essential  to 
a  second  baseman. 

I  would  advise  any  young  fellow  who  is  a 
good  hitter  and  who  is  sure  on  ground  balls, 
but  who  has  a  weak  wing,  to  try  to  become  a 
second  baseman. 

The  good  second  baseman  should  be  able  to 
go  either  way  after  ground  balls.  Many  play- 
ers have  a  weakness  on  one  side — that  is,  they 
cannot  field  the  ball  well  on  either  their  right 
or  left  side  and  this  is  a  great  handicap  to  the 
second  baseman  because  he  receives  about  as 
many  chances  on  one  side  as  the  other.  I 
should  say  that  such  a  fault  would  be  fatal  to 
the  success  of  a  man  in  any  company  that 
boasted  of  even  medium  class.  The  only  way 
to  break  himself  of  this  weakness  is  to  practice 
constantly  in  fielding  balls  on  the  weak  side. 
The  one  thing  to  remember  is  always  to  play 
the  ball  and  never  let  it  play  you. 

Letting  the  ball  play  you  is  responsible  for 
most  of  the  infield  errors  on  teams  short  of  the 
Big  Leagues  and  for  a  few  in  the  major  or- 
ganizations. Make  up  your  mind  how  you 
are  going  to  take  a  ground  hit,  as  soon  as  you 
see  it  coming,  and  then  go  after  it  with  deter- 
mination. If  you  hesitate,  you  are  gone,  be- 
cause then  the  ball  plays  you.  It  is  very  bad 


78     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

form  ever  to  back  up  on  a  ball  because  you  will 
almost  invariably  get  it  on  a  bad  bound,  and  it 
will  play  you.  You  are  going  with  the  ball 
then  instead  of  against  it.  If  the  ball  is  hit 
slowly,  go  in  on  it  and  have  confidence  in  your- 
self. Decision  is  what  counts.  The  reason  so 
many  youngsters  fail  to  handle  ground  balls 
cleanly  is  because  they  wait  to  make  up  their 
minds  how  to  take  them  and  are  backing  up  on 
the  ball  instead  of  going  toward  it.  This  is  a 
bad  flaw,  since,  besides  making  the  ball  harder 
to  field  if  you  do  get  it,  you  are  put  all  off  your 
balance  for  the  throw  by  your  awkward  posi- 
tion. 

Play  a  ground  ball  close  to  the  ground  and 
do  not  keep  your  legs  together  unless  you  have 
a  chance  to  set  yourself  for  it.  (111.  No.  16.) 
Keeping  the  legs  together  used  to  be  a  rule  of 
the  game,  but  I  believe  it  cramps  up  a  man 
more  than  it  benefits  him.  It  xnakes  his  work 
awkward  instead  of  graceful,  and  he  loses  lots 
of  chances  on  which  he  might  make  clean  plays 
if  he  had  gone  after  the  ball  naturally.  The 
great  secret  of  getting  a  ground  ball  is  to  be 
going  to  meet  it  with  your  body  and  hands 
rather  than  pulling  away  from  it.  Then  you 
are  steadier  on  your  feet  and  in  a  better  posi- 
tion to  throw.  A  second  baseman  must  be 


SECOND   BASE  79 

able  to  snap  the  ball  from  any  position  be- 
cause he  receives  so  many  balls  that  he  just 
gets  on  the  run  and  has  not  the  time  to 
straighten  up  and  set  himself  for  the  throw. 

Bear  this  in  mind.  Whenever  you  have  the 
time,  take  it,  of  course.  If  you  have  made  a 
clean  pickup  on  a  smartly  hit  ball,  do  not  shoot 
it  at  the  first  baseman  from  any  old  angle  and 
take  a  chance  on  him  getting  it.  Straighten 
up  and  set  yourself  for  the  throw. 

The  second  baseman's  normal  position  is  a 
little  nearer  second  than  first  and  back  of  the 
base  line  almost  at  right  angles  to  the  point 
where  a  line  drawn  from  the  home  plate  to 
center  field  would  cut  second  base.  The  second 
baseman  is  supposed  to  cover  more  territory 
than  any  other  infielder  and  will  be  frequently 
called  upon  to  go  out  into  short  right  field 
for  flies  or  to  come  in  on  slow  ground  hits. 
If  the  second  baseman  will  play  deep,  he 
will  permit  the  right  fielder  to  cover  more 
ground  because  the  latter  can  play  his  position 
deeper. 

The  second  baseman  is  in  a  position  to  ob- 
serve the  signs  that  the  catcher  is  giving  the 
pitcher  and  should  play  the  batter  according  to 
these.  For  instance,  if  he  sees  that  the  pitcher 
is  going  to  give  a  right  handed  batter  a  curve 


80     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

ball  on  the  outside  corner,  he  will  shift  his  posi- 
tion over  slightly  toward  first  base  because  the 
hitter  will  probably  prod  such  a  pitch,  if  he  hits 
it,  toward  right  field.  Doyle,  the  second  base- 
man on  the  Giants,  passes  this  sign  along  to 
the  outfielders  by  some  simple  motion  such  as 
putting  his  right  hand  on  his  right  knee,  while 
the  gloved  one  is  not  touching  his  body,  and 
they  shift  a  little  bit  toward  right,  but  not  until 
the  pitcher  has  delivered  the  ball,  because  that 
might  tip  the  sign  off  to  the  opposing  batsman. 
If  the  batsman  should  see  all  the  outfielders 
starting  toward  right  field,  he  would  naturally 
expect  a  pitch  on  the  outside  of  the  plate. 

When  the  fielders  have  taken  a  step  or  two 
after  the  pitcher  lets  go  of  the  ball,  they  should 
stop  before  the  batter  hits  it  because  he  may 
punch  it  to  the  other  side  of  them  and  then 
they  would  be  caught  off  their  balance  and 
going  the  wrong  way. 

The  second  baseman  must  have  a  series  of 
signs  with  the  shortstop  about  covering  the  bag 
when  a  runner  is  on  first  and  likely  to  steal.  If 
one  of  these  men  covered  the  bag  continually, 
the  result  would  be  that  the  base  runners  would 
know  who  to  watch,  and  there  would  be  more 
stolen  bases.  But,  by  alternating,  the  runners 
are  often  caught  off  their  guards.  It  is  simple 


SECOND   BASE  81 

to  arrange  these  signs.  They  must  always  be 
some  natural  movement  which  the  other  team 
will  not  detect  because  of  its  apparent  natural- 
ness. Let  one  of  the  two  men,  the  shortstop  or 
second  baseman,  give  the  sign.  On  my  club, 
Doyle,  the  second  baseman,  gives  the  signal  as 
to  which  shall  cover.  Always  be  sure  that  the 
shortstop  gets  the  signal,  so  he  will  not  ball  up 
the  play. 

In  preparing  to  play  the  bag  for  the  recep- 
tion of  a  base  runner,  move  over  slightly  closer 
to  the  base  so  that  you  will  not  have  to  start 
toward  it  in  earnest  until  after  the  catcher  has 
caught  the  ball.  If  you  start  before  this,  you 
leave  a  big  gap  at  your  position  through  which 
the  batter  can  drive  the  ball  in  case  he  hits  it. 
Remember  the  catcher  is  playing  the  ball  to 
the  bag  and  not  to  you.  Cover  on  the  run, 
and  slightly  behind  the  line,  so  the  runner 
must  slide  in  front  of  you.  (111.  No.  17.)  If 
he  tries  to  get  behind  you  he  is  blocked  off  by 
this  position.  By  standing  behind  the  base 
line,  you  can  also  see  what  you  are  doing  and 
avoid  much  of  the  danger  of  being  spiked. 
The  base  runner  then  has  the  path,  and  there 
is  no  reason  for  him  to  slide  into  you  unless  he 
deliberately  intends  to  cut  you  down. 

In  touching  a  man,  put  the  ball  onto  him 


82     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

quick,  but  be  sure  that  you  have  a  good  hold 
on  it  because  many  a  runner  will  attempt  to 
knock  it  out  of  your  hands.  This  whole  play 
depends  upon  courage  and  speed.  Do  not  let 
the  base  runner  rattle  you  by  threats.  You 
will  meet  many  men  who  will  shout  as  they 
slide:  "Get  out  of  my  way  or  I  will  cut  you 
down!" 

If  you  believe  he  really  intends  to  nick  you 
with  his  spikes,  do  not  hesitate  about  putting 
the  ball  onto  him  hard,  and  a  base  runner  has 
many  vulnerable  spots  exposed  when  he  is  slid- 
ing in.  That  ought  to  scare  him.  In  making 
this  play,  keep  clear  of  the  spikes  by  playing 
just  back  of  the  line.  He  cannot  slide  by  in 
front  of  you  out  of  reach,  and  he  cannot  then 
get  behind  you. 

When  you  have  given  the  sign  to  the  short- 
stop to  take  the  throw,  if  you  are  the  source  of 
the  signals,  go  behind  second  and  back  him  up 
in  case  of  a  bad  throw  from  the  catcher  or  in 
case  he  misses  the  ball.  He  will  be  doing  the 
same  thing  when  you  cover  the  bag.  The  sign, 
as  I  have  said,  should  be  simple.  Suppose  you 
pull  up  your  right  stocking  when  you  want 
him  to  cover  and  your  left  when  you  intend  to 
cover  yourself.  If  you  think  the  other  team  is 
getting  on  to  your  signs,  switch  them  between 


SECOND   BASE  83 

innings  by  a  conference  on  the  bench,  but  be 
sure  they  are  understood  by  all  hands. 

If  an  infield  ball  is  not  hit  at  the  second 
baseman,  he  should  back  up  the  first  sacker  on 
throws  from  the  other  infielders,  and  he  will 
save  many  extra  bases  by  it  in  the  course  of  the 
season.  (111.  No.  18.)  Some  men  inclined  to 
be  lazy  will  go  over  behind  the  first  baseman 
once  or  twice,  and,  finding  that  the  throws  are 
perfect  or  that  the  first  baseman  successfully 
stopped  all  those  aimed  at  him,  will  abandon 
the  practice  as  useless,  and  maybe  the  next  one 
will  get  by  and  the  runner  reach  third  base. 

Second  base  is  the  pivot  of  most  of  the 
double  plays  made  in  a  ball  game.  The  second 
baseman  takes  part  in  nearly  all  of  these  plays. 
This  is  an  important  feature  of  his  work. 
First,  he  must  figure  on  the  batter.  Always 
remember  who  is  at  the  plate  for  the  other  side 
if  it  is  a  team  that  you  have  played  before  and 
know  the  ability  of  the  batters.  When  a  fast 
man  is  at  the  plate  and  hits  into  a  possible 
double  play,  you  must  hurry  it  to  get  him  at 
first  base.  But  when  you  know  that  the  batter 
is  a  slow  runner,  do  not  make  your  play  at 
second  so  fast  that  you  risk  a  bad  throw  and 
lose  both  outs.  Always  make  sure  of  the  first 
play  before  you  attempt  the  other.  If  the  ball 


84     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

is  hit  to  you,  and  you  are  close  to  the  bag,  do 
not  shoot  it  at  the  shortstop.  He  is  liable  to 
miss  it.  Toss  it.  (111.  No.  19.)  Receiving  a 
throw  from  the  shortstop  or  third  baseman  for 
a  double  play,  make  sure  that  you  touch  the 
bag  before  you  throw  the  ball  to  first  base. 

In  covering  the  bag  when  a  man  is  attempt- 
ing to  steal,  the  shortstop  takes  the  throw  quite 
as  often  as  the  second  baseman.  On  this  play 
it  is  optional  who  shall  cover  so  long  as  it  has 
been  arranged  previously  by  a  signal.  But  on 
other  hits,  as  a  general  thing,  the  shortstop  cov- 
ers on  all  drives  to  left  field  so  that  the  second 
baseman  can  back  him  up  and  be  insurance 
against  a  possible  wild  throw.  The  second 
baseman  covers  on  hits  to  right  field  and  the 
shortstop  backs  up.  This  system  is  universally 
followed.  The  play  of  the  second  baseman  is 
so  closely  connected  with  that  of  the  shortstop 
that  the  two  men  should  practice  together  con- 
tinually so  as  to  become  accustomed  to  the 
habits  and  mannerisms  of  each  other.  It  is  an 
invariable  rule  that  whichever  man  is  not  cov- 
ering second  base  should  back  up  the  play. 

The  second  baseman  covers  first  base  on  one 
play,  to  which  I  referred  in  the  chapter  on  the 
first  baseman — that  is,  when  there  are  runners 
on  first  and  second  bases,  and  a  bunt  is  ex- 


SECOND   BASE  85 

pected.  The  first  baseman  then  moves  in  to 
make  the  play  to  third,  if  possible,  preparing 
to  force  out  the  runner  on  second  there,  and 
the  second  baseman  takes  his  position  down 
the  base  line  about  half  way  between  first  and 
second.  On  a  bunt,  he  then  covers  the  bag  so 
that  if  it  is  too  late  to  throw  the  ball  to  third, 
he  is  on  first  to  receive  the  throw  to  retire  the 
runner. 

I  am  not  going  to  take  up  the  double  steal 
in  this  lesson,  as  it  involves  three  or  four  play- 
ers and  more  properly  comes  under  the  subse- 
quent title  of  "Team  Work." 

The  second  baseman  plays  deep  except  when 
there  is  a  man  on  third  base  and  the  score  close. 
Then  he  moves  about  ten  feet  inside  the  base 
line  so  he  can  make  the  play  home.  There  is 
no  time  to  be  lost  in  trying  to  get  a  man  at 
the  plate  on  a  ground  hit  to  the  second  base- 
man. Drive  the  ball  at  the  catcher  so  that  it 
arrives  about  a  foot  above  the  ground  and  two 
or  three  feet  down  the  base  line  toward  third. 
Steady  yourself  if  possible  before  making  the 
throw  because  a  wild  one  is  bound  to  result  in 
a  run. 


VII 

SHORTSTOP 

work  of  a  shortstop  on  a  baseball 
team  dovetails  so  closely  with  that  of 
the  second  baseman  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  consider  one  without  taking  into 
account  the  duties  of  the  other.  Yet  there  are 
many  qualities  required  of  the  shortstop  which 
the  second  baseman  can  lack  and  still  succeed. 

In  the  first  place,  the  shortstop  handles  more 
chances  than  any  of  the  other  infielders,  ac- 
cording to  the  figures.  He  averages  about 
eight  a  game  for  the  season  in  the  Big  Leagues, 
while  the  third  baseman  averages  only  about 
four  or  five.  Both  the  shortstop  and  third 
baseman  must  be  level  headed  and  sure  on 
signs.  The  shortstop  should  learn  to  get  an 
answer  when  he  gives  a  signal.  That  is  a  rule 
which  applies  to  all  players.  He  is  as  much 
a  key  to  the  infield  as  the  second  baseman,  and 
he  has  as  much  covering  of  the  middle  bag 
to  do. 

In  naming  the  qualifications  of  a  shortstop, 
86 


SHORTSTOP  87 

there  are  three  which  stick  out  most  promi- 
nently. He  must  be  brainy,  have  a  good  arm, 
and  be  fast  on  his  feet.  A  boy  who  lacks  any 
of  these  should  not  try  to  mold  himself  into 
a  shortstop  unless  he  thinks  he  can  develop 
them. 

Because  of  the  absolutely  necessary  and  ac- 
curate fielding  qualities  required  of  a  short- 
stop, he  does  not  have  to  be  a  great  hitter.  A 
fair  batter  can  get  away  with  it  nowadays  if 
he  is  fast  enough  in  the  field  and  on  the  bases. 
This  strength  offsets  the  batting  weakness,  and 
speed  in  a  shortstop  is  more  essential  than  hit- 
ting ability  because  he  is  the  balance  wheel  of 
the  infield  and  the  steadier  in  the  team  work. 

The  shortstop  must  work  with  the  catcher 
and  other  infielders  on  signs.  There  are  sev- 
eral things  required  of  an  advanced  shortstop 
which  would  not  be  necessary  in  a  man  unless 
he  were  a  minor  leaguer  with  Big  League 
ambitions.  The  Big  League  shortstop  watches 
the  signs  of  the  catcher  closely  to  discover  what 
kind  of  a  ball  the  pitcher  intends  to  deliver, 
because  a  batter  does  not  pull  a  fast  ball  like 
he  does  a  curve.  If  the  catcher  signs  for  a 
fast  ball,  the  shortstop  should  shift  toward 
second  base  a  few  feet,  but  there  is  a  mistake, 
which  many  men  make  about  this  shifting,  that 


88     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

is  fatal  to  the  success  of  the  team.  A  batter 
is  more  apt  to  drive  a  fast  ball  toward  right 
field  than  left,  and  therefore  the  shortstop 
wants  to  be  nearer  second  than  third  on  the 
sign  for  this,  but  he  must  not  move  before  the 
twirler  starts  to  deliver  the  ball  because  if  he 
does  he  will  tip  the  batter  off. 

The  shortstop  should  not  start  to  move  until 
the  pitcher  begins  his  motion.  Then  the  batter 
cannot  take  his  eyes  off  the  twirler.  He  does 
not  have  to  shift  far,  just  a  few  feet,  and  he 
should  be  steady  on  his  feet,  ready  to  move 
either  way  by  the  time  the  ball  reaches  the 
batter.  There  is  a  lot  of  skill  in  shifting  clev- 
erly, and  the  shortstop  must  be  careful  not  to 
tip  off  the  other  side  by  his  movements. 

When  in  his  natural  position  with  no  run- 
ners on  the  bases,  the  shortstop  plays  deep, 
almost  at  right  angles  to  an  imaginary  line 
drawn  from  home  plate  over  second  base  to 
center  field.  (111.  No.  20.)  His  position  is 
slightly  nearer  second  base  than  third,  but  he 
has  no  set  place,  as  he  shifts  according  to  con- 
ditions. The  shortstop  covers  second  base 
quite  as  often  as  the  second  baseman.  It  used 
to  be  that  he  took  care  of  second  on  all  throws, 
but  that  system  is  bad  because  then  the  runner 
knows  from  just  where  to  expect  the  danger. 


e    e  i    •      •  *       w  *        '       c  c          c        c        c     « 

Illustration  No.  &2— Baker  o!  the  Athletics  covering  third,  ready  to 

put  a  man  out.     The  runner  must  pass  in  front  of 

him.     Good  form. 


Illustration  No.  23 — The  proper  way  to  catch  a  fly  ball.   This  man 
is  planted  directly  under  it  ready  to  make  the  catch. 


Illustration  No.  24— "Artie"  Hofman,  the  Pittsburgh  outfielder, 

jumping  for  a  high  one.     Taking  the  ball  with  one  hand 

should  be  done  only  when  there  is  no  chance  to  use  two. 


SHORTSTOP  89 

A  good  shortstop  must  possess  unlimited  grit. 
He  must  take  chances  of  getting  hurt,  more 
chances  than  any  one  else  on  the  team  with 
the  possible  exception  of  the  catcher  and  third 
baseman. 

In  covering  second  to  get  a  man  stealing, 
the  shortstop  should  not  start  too  soon.  If  he 
does,  he  leaves  a  big  gap  at  his  position  through 
which  the  hitter  can  drive  the  ball.  It  is  not 
possible  for  a  man  to  wait  until  the  catcher 
has  the  ball  to  start  to  cover  the  bag,  because 
the  ordinary  shortstop  cannot  get  there  in  time 
in  this  way,  but  I  want  to  impress  upon  all  my 
readers  that  the  shortstop  is  not  expected  to 
run  over  and  anchor  himself  on  the  bag  as  soon 
as  he  sees  the  man  beginning  to  streak.  He 
should  cover  on  the  run  and  bear  in  mind  that 
the  catcher  is  throwing  at  the  bag  and  not  at 
him.  In  covering,  run  over  directly  behind 
the  base  and  put  the  ball  on  the  man  fast.  That 
is  the  weakness  of  many  basemen.  They  are 
slow  about  touching  a  runner.  Do  not  be 
afraid  to  tag  a  man  so  that  he  knows  he  has 
been  touched.  Watch  his  slide,  because  he  will 
try  to  get  around  you  and  hook  the  base.  That 
is  what  I  teach  my  players.  Do  not  block  him 
off  with  your  body  any  more  than  you  can  help, 
but  cover  from  the  first  base  side  of  the  bag — 


90     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL' 

that  is,  stand  two  or  three  feet  down  the  line 
on  that  side  of  the  base — and  make  the  man 
go  in  front  of  you.  Then  you  are  not  exposed 
to  spikes  as  much  and  the  runner  cannot  slip 
in  behind  you  where  it  is  impossible  to  see  him. 
You  can  touch  a  man  quicker  if  the  play  is 
directly  in  front  of  you. 

Don't  be  afraid  of  spikes,  but  do  not  take 
unnecessary  risks. 

On  the  mechanical  playing  of  the  position  of 
shortstop,  there  is  little  to  be  said.  The  player 
must  be  as  proficient  on  ground  balls  as  any 
of  the  other  infielders  and  nimbler.  He  must 
take  bigger  chances  of  making  errors  for  the 
reason  that  he  gets  harder  balls  to  handle.  He 
cannot  afford  to  fumble  for  a  second  because 
the  runner  will  then  beat  out  his  throw.  He 
is  much  further  from  first  base  than  the  second 
sacker. 

The  primary  object  of  a  shortstop  is  to  cover 
as  much  ground  as  possible,  and  to  accomplish 
this  he  should  study  batters.  By  watching 
your  opponents  hit,  you  can  tell  whether  a 
certain  man  is  inclined  to  drive  the  ball  toward 
second  or  third,  whether  he  naturally  swings 
early  or  late  at  the  ball.  Prepare  for  this 
hitting  inclination  of  a  batter.  Figure  on  his 
speed.  If  he  is  a  very  fast  man,  do  not  play 


SHORTSTOP  91 

so  deep,  because  he  will  beat  out  a  slow  hit 
then  even  if  you  do  your  work  perfectly.  Play 
close  to  the  ground  and  always  be  on  your  toes 
ready  to  take  a  start  in  any  direction. 

With  men  on  the  bases,  the  duties  of  the 
shortstop  become  more  arduous.  If  a  runner 
reaches  second  base,  worry  him  as  much  as  pos- 
sible without  leaving  an  opening  for  the  batter 
to  hit  through  you.  Play  behind  him  when  he 
takes  his  lead,  and  run  in  to  cover  the  bag  every 
now  and  then  so  that  the  runner  will  be  kept 
upon  his  toes.  It  is  important  that  a  man  on 
second  be  held  up,  in  order  to  prevent  him 
scoring  on  a  one-base  hit  if  possible. 

You  should  have  a  set  of  signs  arranged  with 
the  catcher  which  will  tell  you  when  the  pitcher 
is  going  to  whirl  and  throw  to  get  a  man  too 
far  off  second.  The  catcher  should  have  one 
signal  for  the  shortstop  to  cover  and  another 
for  the  second  baseman  on  this  play.  When 
you  see  the  catcher  give  this  signal,  be  sure  to 
get  to  the  bag  because  the  pitcher  is  going  to 
whirl  and  throw  without  looking,  and  it  will 
give  you  a  bad  showing  up  if  the  ball  goes  to 
center  field  because  there  was  no  one  on  the 
base  to  receive  it.  The  runner  will  naturally 
go  along  to  third  and  perhaps  home.  There- 
fore, you  must  watch  the  catcher  closely  for 


92     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

signals.  It  is  one  of  your  principal  duties.  If 
you  think  a  runner  is  taking  too  big  a  lead 
with  each  pitch,  slip  the  catcher  a  sign  that 
you  will  cover  after  the  pitcher  delivers  the 
next  ball.  Then  dash  for  the  bag  when  the 
pitcher  delivers  the  ball,  because  the  catcher 
will  drive  the  ball  at  it,  and  you  must  be  there. 
The  shortstop  must  possess  a  good  head 
since  he  has  so  many  things  to  remember  and 
so  many  signs  for  which  to  watch.  With  a 
man  on  third  base  and  less  than  two  out,  move 
several  feet  inside  the  base  line  so  you  can 
make  a  play  at  the  plate  and  cut  off  the  run. 
Of  course,  if  you  should  fumble  and  there  is  a 
man  on  first  base,  too,  do  not  be  discouraged 
and  lose  your  head  because  you  cannot  make 
the  play  to  the  plate.  Look  and  see  if  you  have 
not  time  to  catch  the  runner  going  to  second. 
Always  try  for  a  play  somewhere.  Do  not 
give  up  because  you  have  missed  one.  But 
never  attempt  useless  throws.  They  are  dan- 
gerous. Of  course,  the  stages  of  the  game  and 
the  situations  make  a  vast  difference  as  to  how 
these  plays  are  made.  If  there  is  one  out,  with 
men  on  first  and  third,  many  managers,  as  I 
said  in  discussing  the  second  baseman,  prefer 
to  have  their  infield  play  back  to  try  for  a 
double  play.  I  will  go  into  this  more  exhaus- 


SHORTSTOP  93 

tively  when  I  begin  to  talk  about  team  work. 

The  shortstop  has  much  backing  up  to  do. 
He  should  back  up  the  second  baseman  on  all 
throws  to  second  that  he  does  not  receive  him- 
self, and  he  should  help  out  the  third  baseman 
a  good  deal,  too.  The  shortstop  is  frequently 
called  upon  to  cover  third.  Suppose  there  is 
a  man  on  second,  and  the  third  baseman  must 
go  in  to  get  a  slow  hit.  He  makes  the  play  to 
first  and  has  not  time  to  get  back  to  his  bag. 
The  runner  from  second  starts  down,  and  the 
shortstop  must  cover  or  the  other  team  has 
gained  a  base,  and  one  base  means  the  game 
oftener  than  you  would  think. 

The  shortstop  must  be  active.  He  must  go 
after  every  ball  that  he  thinks  he  can  reach. 
Be  careful  about  flies.  Do  not  conflict  with 
other  players,  for  collisions  are  dangerous  and 
have  laid  up  many  a  good  man.  If  you  go 
after  a  high  fly,  shout:  "I've  got  it!" 

You  ought  to  get  an  answer  from  the  other 
player  who  might  possibly  be  pursuing  it: 
"Go  ahead!  Take  it!" 


VIII 

THIRD    BASE 

IF  I  were  to  pick  the  hardest  position  on 
the  ball  club  to  play,  I  would  name  third 
base.     There  are  three  qualities  abso- 
lutely essential  to  a  good  third  baseman.    He 
must  be  fast  and  game  and  have  a  good  arm, 
the  best  of  any  man  in  the  infield  with  the  pos- 
sible exception  of  the  shortstop.    Both  require 
great  whips. 

Third  base  is  the  one  position  on  a  ball  club 
where  there  are  no  easy  chances.  I  played  it 
myself  for  a  good  many  years  and  I  am  in  a 
position  to  say  this  positively.  The  ball  is 
either  hit  at  you  like  a  shot,  or  it  is  a  slow 
roller,  and  you  have  to  hurry  it  to  get  the  ball 
to  first  base  in  time  to  nail  the  runner.  The 
third  baseman  must  have  an  arm  as  good  as  a 
catcher  to  handle  his  job  properly,  and  he 
needs  to  be  an  accurate  thrower.  When  the 
third  baseman  goes  back  behind  the  bag  for 
the  ball,  he  has  got  to  throw  over-handed.  Re- 
member that.  He  cannot  heave  the  ball  across 

94 


THIRD   BASE  95 

the  diamond  fast  enough  from  the  under-hand 
swing  to  do  any  good. 

Because  of  the  many  necessary  fielding 
qualifications  in  a  man  fit  to  he  a  first-class 
third  baseman,  a  fair  hitter  can  generally  hold 
his  joh,  although,  oddly  enough,  some  of  the 
best  batters  in  the  country  have  been  and  are 
now  third  basemen. 

Again,  in  this  position  I  like  a  rangy  man, 
although  there  have  been  some  very  good  short 
men  who  have  covered  third  base.  I  am  not 
tall  myself.  The  rangy  man  has  a  better  reach 
and  can  cover  more  ground  and  accept  and 
get  away  with  more  hard  chances  than  the 
shorter  one.  But  if  an  attempt  is  made  to 
place  too  big  a  man  at  third  base,  he  is  not  so 
fast,  as  a  rule,  and,  above  all  things,  the  good 
third  baseman  must  be  fast. 

Ordinarily,  the  third  baseman  should  stand 
about  ten  feet  inside  the  diamond  from  the  bag 
and  in  front  of  the  base  line.  Of  course,  the 
third  baseman  shifts  about  according  to  condi- 
tions, like  any  other  infielder,  but  we  are  taking 
it  for  granted  now  that  there  is  no  runner  on 
the  bases  and  an  ordinary  hitter  is  at  the  plate. 
The  third  baseman  must  keep  track  of  his  bat- 
ters carefully  because  some  fast  men  are  al- 
ways trying  to  cross  him  and  drop  down  a  bunt 


96     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

when  he  is  not  looking  for  it.  We  will  come 
to  the  handling  of  bunts  later  along.  The  du- 
ties of  a  third  baseman  can  be  divided  into 
three  parts — fielding  ordinary  hits,  playing 
bunts,  and  covering  the  bag.  It  is  small  won- 
der that  it  has  been  called  the  "busy  corner." 

The  third  baseman  gets  all  kinds  of  hard 
hits  jammed  at  him.  When  he  crosses  over  to 
his  right  to  get  a  ball,  he  should  not  run  back 
any  further  than  necessary,  because  in  this  way 
he  turns  his  back  on  first  base  and  is  all  out 
of  shape  to  throw.  Cut  over  as  squarely  as  you 
can  to  intercept  the  ball  and  steady  yourself 
before  throwing,  if  you  have  time.  When  you 
are  away  over  behind  the  bag,  you  must  drive 
the  ball  across  the  diamond  over-handed  or 
you  cannot  get  enough  into  it  to  make  it  carry. 
(111.  No.  21.)  If  a  boy,  trying  to  be  a  third 
baseman,  encounters  a  certain  kind  of  a  ball  to 
field  which  is  particularly  difficult  for  him,  let 
him  keep  after  just  that  one  until  he  has  over- 
come the  weakness.  Do  not  try  to  conceal  it. 

Probably  the  hardest  thing  a  third  baseman 
has  to  do  is  handle  bunts,  because  it  is  danger- 
ous work  and  requires  great  nerve.  There  are 
certain  situations  in  every  game  when  a  batter 
is  more  liable  to  bunt  than  at  other  times.  For 
instance,  if  a  club  needs  one  run  badly,  and 


THIRD   BASE  97 

there  is  a  man  on  first,  with  none  out,  the 
chances  are  that  the  batter  is  going  to  lay  it 
down  to  advance  that  man  and  try  to  get  the 
run  across  the  plate.  Then  the  third  baseman 
should  move  about  ten  feet  in  toward  the  plate. 
Watch  the  bat  of  the  hitter.  If,  as  soon  as  the 
pitcher  delivers  the  ball,  the  batter  runs  his 
hand  down  the  stick,  start  in  for  the  plate. 
Great  speed  is  required  in  fielding  a  bunt,  and 
when  a  fast  man  has  laid  the  ball  down  there 
is  no  time  to  get  set  to  throw.  You  must  learn 
to  let  the  ball  drive  unerringly  from  any  po- 
sition, and  if  time  presses  you  are  frequently 
required  to  handle  the  ball  with  one  hand. 

Arthur  Devlin,  formerly  of  the  Giants,  used 
to  have  a  magnificent  throw  on  this  play.  He 
would  dash  in  and  scoop  the  ball  with  his 
right  hand  when  the  play  was  close.  Then, 
with  a  sort  of  jump  and  jerk  of  the  arm,  he 
would  heave  to  first  base  with  wonderful  ac- 
curacy without  losing  a  second  of  time.  That 
is  very  advanced  baseball,  however.  The  great 
thing  to  do  in  handling  bunts  is  to  work  fast. 

The  only  possible  way  in  which  you  can  be- 
come expert  in  handling  bunts  is  to  practice. 
Get  some  boy  who  desires  to  learn  to  bunt  to 
lay  the  ball  down  for  you  to  field.  There  are 
two  things  to  remember  in  handling  a  bunt. 


98     HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

One  is  to  field  the  ball  cleanly,  and  the  other 
is  to  get  it  away  fast  and  to  watch  your  throw. 
You  cannot  practice  too  much  on  the  throw. 
Be  careful  not  to  conflict  with  the  pitcher  in 
handling  bunts.  The  best  scheme,  I  believe, 
and  the  one  which  I  follow  with  my  club,  is  to 
have  the  third  baseman  handle  all  the  bunts  he 
can  reach  and  pass  the  rest  along  to  the  pitcher. 
If  you  see  you  can  field  a  bunt,  yell:  "I've  got 
it !"  and  go  after  it. 

Never  claim  a  ball  unless  you  are  sure  you 
are  going  to  be  able  to  make  good  and  reach 
it  in  time.  Make  an  arrangement  with  the 
pitcher  that  you  will  handle  all  bunts  you  can 
reach  and  will  accept  all  which  you  claim.  In 
this  way  you  will  keep  him  away  from  the  ball 
and  avoid  the  catastrophe  which  I  have  ob- 
served occur  so  often  in  minor  league  and  ama- 
teur clubs.  Two  men  will  go  after  a  bunt. 
Then  both  will  stop,  abruptly,  thinking  that 
the  other  player  will  take  it,  and  the  ball  will 
twist  down  the  base  line  unmolested — and 
there  is  a  runner  on  first  base.  If  a  club  sees 
that  you  cannot  handle  bunts,  it  will  start  to 
lay  the  ball  down  right  away,  and  this  sends  a 
whole  team  in  the  air  in  a  minute. 

Keep  all  bunts  possible  in  foul  ground. 
Batters  try  to  lay  the  ball  down  the  base  line. 


THIRD   BASE  09 

If  you  see  the  ball  is  going  to  roll  foul,  let  it 
run  along  until  it  does  and  then  clamp  your 
hand  down  upon  it  and  keep  the  ball  out. 
There  are  two  reasons  for  this.  In  handling 
a  bunt,  the  percentage  is  all  against  you.  In 
fielding  a  perfect  bunt,  if  it  is  cleanly  picked 
up  against  a  fast  runner,  the  throw  should  just 
beat  him  to  the  bag.  But  it  is  one  of  the  hardest 
plays  in  the  infield  to  make,  and  a  wild  throw 
from  a  bunt  often  breaks  up  a  game.  When  a 
man  makes  a  foul  bunt,  he  has  a  strike  called 
on  him,  and  he  is  in  the  hole  and  will  not  try 
to  lay  it  down  again,  as  a  rule. 

Fielding  bunts  requires  great  nerve  because 
you  can  never  tell  when  you  will  move  in  close, 
expecting  a  bunt,  and  the  batter  will  cross  you 
and  hit  the  ball  out.  Do  not  let  a  batter  catch 
you  going  in  if  you  can  help  it,  because  he  is 
liable  to  sing  the  ball  past  your  head,  and  it 
does  not  always  go  by.  Many  a  third  baseman 
has  been  hurt  when  he  was  slipping  in  to  field 
a  bunt  and  the  batter  crossed  him  and  stung 
*  the  ball  on  the  nose.  It  is  close  range  on  this 
play,  you  know.  Do  not  start  in  further,  after 
you  have  moved  closer  to  the  plate  for  a  bunt 
before  the  pitcher  delivers  the  ball,  until  you 
see  the  batter  run  his  hand  down  the  stick  to 
bunt.  Then  you  know  he  cannot  very  well 


100   HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

change  his  mind.  This  is  just  a  second  or  two 
before  he  lays  the  ball  down,  but  it  gives  you 
hint  enough  to  get  a  start. 

Always  be  on  your  toes.  Do  not  let  the  bat- 
ter catch  you  playing  deep  and  lay  down  a 
bunt  when  you  are  not  expecting  it.  He  will 
make  you  look  foolish  if  he  does.  Always  be 
ready  to  start  after  a  bunt  and  do  not  play  too 
deep  at  any  time.  I  would  not  advise  a  third 
baseman  to  take  a  position  behind  the  base  line 
at  any  time. 

In  covering  the  position  at  third  base,  a  man 
must  be  careful  not  to  conflict  with  the  short- 
stop on  flies  or  ground  balls.  The  rule  I  make 
on  my  club  is  to  let  the  third  baseman  take  all 
ground  balls  on  his  left  side  of  which  he  is 
reasonably  sure,  because  balls  that  both  he  and 
the  shortstop  can  reach  are  usually  slow-hit 
ones.  If  the  third  baseman  cuts  over  in  front 
of  the  shortstop  he  has  a  shorter  throw  to  make 
to  first  and  the  ball  has  not  traveled  so  far  to 
a  fielder  as  if  the  shortstop  were  to  take  it.  In 
this  way  time  has  been  saved,  but  do  not  cut 
over  and  steal  chances  from  the  shortstop  when 
there  is  not  a  chance  of  handling  them  success- 
fully, and  "ball"  up  a  play  that  the  shortstop 
might  have  made  easily. 

I  would  give  the  shortstop  all  the  infield 


THIRD   BASE      - 

flies  that  he  can  handle,  because  a  shortstop  is 
generally  supposed  to  be  good  on  infield  flies, 
and  he  has  more  room  to  take  the  ball  in  front 
of  him  than  the  third  baseman.  The  majority 
of  balls  that  both  the  third  baseman  and  short- 
stop can  catch  are  slightly  behind  the  third 
baseman,  who  is  playing  in  close,  whereas  the 
shortstop  lies  deep.  I  would  make  it  a  rule, 
if  I  were  you,  that  any  time  the  shortstop 
yells,  "I've  got  it"  he  is  to  go  after  the  ball,  it 
being  taken  for  granted  that  he  has  a  better 
chance  of  catching  it  than  you  have.  You  will 
have  plenty  of  foul  flies  to  pursue,  yourself, 
on  the  other  side  of  third  base.  Let  the  short- 
stop go  out  into  left  field  after  them.  The 
trick  of  getting  a  foul  fly  is  in  the  start.  Go 
after  it  as  soon  as  you  see  the  ball  hit,  and  you 
will  surprise  yourself  at  the  large  number  you 
can  pick  off  at  a  great  distance.  If  the  sun 
blinds  you,  put  up  your  glove  to  shade  your 
eyes.  In  going  after  a  high  foul  fly  do  not 
turn  around  any  more  than  necessary,  because 
it  will  get  you  all  twisted  up  and  confuse  you 
so  it  will  make  the  ball  very  difficult  to  catch. 
Always  make  things  as  sure  as  you  can  and 
never  try  to  pull  off  plays  purposely  to  draw 
applause  from  the  grandstand  unless  there  is 
no  surer  way  to  do  it.  Such  grandstanding 


PLAY  BASEBALL 

does  not  appeal  to  the  wise  manager.  Bear 
that  in  mind. 

The  third  baseman  should  watch  the  infield 
signals  passed  out  by  either  the  shortstop  or 
second  baseman,  because  he  needs  to  know 
who  is  going  to  cover  the  bag  when  an  attempt 
to  steal  is  expected  from  a  base-runner.  If 
the  shortstop  is  to  cover,  the  third  baseman 
should  move  over  slightly  to  plug  up  the  hole 
that  will  be  left  in  the  infield  by  these  other 
duties  of  the  shortstop.  But  do  not  make  this 
shift  too  evident  or  it  may  tip  off  the  other 
team  to  what  you  expect.  Never  let  your  op- 
ponents see  your  hand. 

The  worst  hole  in  which  the  third  baseman 
will  find  himself  is  with  a  man  on  second  base. 
The  batter  is  liable  to  bunt  or  hit,  or  the  run- 
ner may  try  to  steal  in  this  situation.  The 
third  baseman  of  ability  must  keep  in  close 
touch  with  the  stages  of  the  game.  If  the 
score  is  close  and  one  run  is  sorely  needed,  the 
batter  may  bunt  with  a  man  on  second.  The 
runner  may  try  to  steal  if  the  other  team  is 
daring.  The  third  baseman  must  be  ready  to 
cover  the  bag  or  field  a  bunt.  My  way  is  to 
have  the  man  move  in  slightly  with  the  pitch, 
but  not  so  far  that  he  cannot  get  back  to  cover 
the  bag  in  case  the  runner  steals. 


THIRD   BASE  103 

There  is  a  great  knack  in  learning  to  touch 
a  runner  coming  into  third  base  when  there  is 
to  be  a  play  made  there.  Place  yourself 
so  he  has  to  go  in  front  of  you  to  the  bag. 
(111.  No.  22.)  Then  you  can  get  him  coming 
into  the  bag  from  any  direction  before  he 
touches  it.  It  is  a  dangerous  position,  because 
a  runner  will  make  desperate  efforts  to  get  into 
third,  since  he  is  then  very  close  to  scoring  a 
run.  Give  him  the  base  line,  but  put  yourself 
in  a  position  so  he  cannot  slide  behind  you  and 
you  cannot  miss  him  coming  into  the  bag. 

Cover  your  bag  on  all  plays  when  there  is 
the  possibility  of  an  out  at  third  base — that  is, 
of  course,  if  the  ball  is  not  hit  at  you.  Do  not 
let  any  base-runners  get  away  from  you,  but 
do  not  block  them  altogether,  as  you  are  al- 
most sure  to  get  cut  in  this  way.  In  case  of 
a  long  hit  that  threatens  to  be  a  home  run, 
stand  on  the  inside  corner  of  the  bag  so  as  to 
make  the  runner  go  around  you.  You  are 
then  within  your  rights,  and  the  extra  steps 
he  takes  may  avert  a  home  run. 

In  taking  your  position,  always  play  about 
on  the  line  between  first  and  third  unless  you 
expect  a  bunt,  and  then  move  in  before  the 
pitcher  delivers  the  ball.  You  must  also  move 
up  slightly  when  there  is  a  man  on  third  and 


104  HOW  TO  PLAY;  BASEBALL 

the  play  may  be  at  the  plate  to  cut  off  a  run. 
But  do  not  move  in  as  much  as  the  shortstop, 
second  and  first  basemen  do,  because  they  have 
been  playing  deep  and  you  have  not.  Then  it 
is  your  job  to  worry  the  base-runner  by 
slipping  over  to  the  bag  occasionally  and  bring- 
ing him  back.  Do  not  let  him  take  too  big  a 
lead  on  a  critical  play,  and  have  a  sign  ar- 
ranged with  the  catcher  so  you  can  ask  for  a 
throw  in  case  you  think  the  runner  is  going 
down  too  far  each  time  the  pitcher  delivers  the 
ball.  You  must  hold  the  runner  up  to  the  bag. 
I  am  not  going  into  the  intricacies  of  third 
base  play  when  the  double  steal  is  discussed.  I 
shall  take  up  the  double  steal — that  is,  with 
runners  on  first  and  third  bases — under  the 
head  of  "Team  Work."  But  I  shall  say  here 
that  the  third  baseman  plays  one  of  the  leading 
parts  in  breaking  it  up.  His  duty  is  to  stick 
close  by  his  bag,  because  one  of  the  best  ways 
of  stopping  a  double  steal  is  to  have  the  third 
baseman  cover  the  bag  and  instruct  the  catcher 
to  hurl  the  ball  to  third  instead  of  second,  after 
making  a  bluff  throw  at  second  to  draw  the 
runner  off  third,  who  has  been  led  to  believe 
the  catcher  will  really  throw  to  second.  Many 
Big  Leaguers  are  caught  by  this  trick,  and  it 
should  be  very  effectual  in  the  minor  leagues 


Illustration   No.    25— Great   form   and   style  to  copy.    afcdclie' 
Collins  of  the  Athletics,  a  light  man,  meeting  one  with  all 
the  power  of  his  body  and  arms.     The  ball  goes  from 
his  bat  like  a  bullet  from  a  rifle. 


Illustration  No.  26 — "Willie"  Keeler,  the  king  of  hunters,  laying  one 

down.     Notice  the  position  of  his  hands  carefully.     The  ball 

is  high  and  ordinarily  hard  to  bunt,  except  for  the 

great  masters  of  the  trick. 


I 


-    THIRD    BASE  105 

and  amateur  games.  The  third  baseman  must 
surely  be  on  the  bag  when  the  catcher  pegs  the 
ball.  The  runner  will  be  caught  too  far  away 
and  going  in  the  wrong  direction  four  times 
out  of  five. 

The  third  baseman  should  be  careful  of  his 
hands  and  not  take  any  more  chances  than  are 
necessary.  Catch  the  ball  flat-handed.  There 
is  no  reason  for  receiving  broken  and  dis- 
jointed fingers  when  the  hands  are  held  right. 
The  ball  should  hit  the  palms. 

There  is  one  thing  against  which  I  want  to 
warn  all  infielders,  and  it  is  a  common  fault 
that  I  meant  to  speak  of  before.  Do  not  field 
the  ball  with  one  knee  down  on  the  ground. 
You  will  never  be  a  great  player  doing  this 
any  more  than  you  can  be  a  good  batter  hitting 
cross-handed.  If  the  ball  slips  through  your 
hands,  it  will  hit  your  knee  and  bounce  away 
too  far  to  recover,  nine  times  out  of  ten. 
Again,  you  are  all  out  of  position  to  throw  if 
you  do  pick  up  the  ball  cleanly.  This  is  very 
bad  form  and  should  never  be  attempted. 


IX 

THE   OUTFIELD 

fT^HERE  is  so  little  difference  in  the  du- 
ties of  the  various  outfielders  that  I 
shall  include  the  three  positions  in  one 
lesson.  It  is  generally  considered  among  Big 
League  managers  that  the  fastest  man  and  sur- 
est fielder  is  able  to  do  the  best  work  in  center- 
field,  since  he  can  go  further  to  get  a  ball.  The 
outfielder  should  be  speedy,  because  then  he 
can  cover  more  ground.  Size  makes  little  dif- 
ference, but  speed  is  a  necessity. 

The  first  thing  an  outfielder  must  learn  is 
to  know  the  opposing  batters.  The  big  prob- 
lem in  the  outfield  is  to  cover  ground,  and  it 
is  by  knowing  the  peculiarities  of  the  various 
batters  and  realizing  in  which  way  they  are 
most  liable  to  hit  that  the  outfielders  can  shift 
around  to  the  most  likely  spots. 

On  a  team  of  any  standing  the  outfielders 
must  compose  much  of  the  hitting  strength  of 
the  club.  Big  League  managers  have  discov- 

106 


THE    OUTFIELD  107 

ered  that  almost  anybody  can  be  turned  into 
a  good  fielder  if  he  can  hit. 

An  outfielder  must  be  sure  on  a  fly  ball. 
This  can  be  accomplished  only  through  prac- 
tice supplemented  by  some  tips  which  I  am 
now  going  to  give.  I  would  advise  all  young 
players  to  try  to  catch  the  ball  wjth  their 
hands  above  the  waist-line  instead  of  below, 
whenever  possible.  (111.  No.  23.)  I  mean 
the  ball  comes  in  the  little-finger  side  of  your 
hands  instead  of  the  thumb  side,  as  it  will  if 
you  take  the  ball  below  your  waist-line. 
Watch  some  of  the  great  outfielders  if  you 
ever  get  a  chance,  and  you  will  notice  that 
most  of  them  take  the  ball  as  I  suggest  when 
they  have  time  to  get  under  it.  This  style 
makes  the  catch  surer.  Of  course,  if  the 
chance  is  a  difficult  one,  you  must  take  the 
ball  any  way  you  can  grab  it. 

The  next  thing  for  an  outfielder  to  learn  is 
to  judge  a  fly.  This  is  one  trick  which  can 
be  accomplished  only  through  strict  and  hard 
practice.  It  must  become  second  nature  to  the 
good  outfielder.  He  must  be  able  to  decide 
how  far  the  ball  is  going  the  minute  he  gets 
his  eye  on  it  after  the  batter  has  hit  it,  and  start 
for  it.  He  should  be  able  to  judge  it  by  the 
angle  and  speed.  If  it  is  an  easy  chance,  get 


108  HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

under  it  and  be  set  for  it  when  the  ball  comes 
down.  The  outfield  is  a  great  place  to  try  to 
make  grandstand  plays,  but  never  do  it  unless 
you  cannot  help  it,  because  grandstand  plays 
are  not  so  sure  as  straight  ones.  (111.  No.  24.) 

Always  follow  the  ball  and  take  it  from  the 
position  which  is  surest.  If  the  hit  is  over  your 
head,  turn  and  run  with  the  ball  and  then 
glance  over  your  shoulder.  You  will  see  many 
outfielders  back  up  on  a  ball  over  their  heads, 
but  this  is  bad  form,  as  you  are  all  off  your 
balance  and  cannot  get  back  so  fast  as  when 
you  turn  and  run  with  the  hit.  When  you 
think  you  are  back  as  far  as  the  ball  is  going, 
whirl  again  and  set  yourself  for  the  catch. 
In  the  preliminary  practice  before  a  game,  size 
up  the  wind  and  observe  how  it  influences  fly 
balls.  Also  watch  out  for  a  "high  sky."  It 
makes  a  ball  hard  to  judge. 

There  is  one  thing  all  outfielders  should  re- 
member, and  that  is  never  to  hold  the  ball 
after  they  have  once  got  hold  of  it.  It  must 
be  thrown  somewhere,  because  a  ball  held  in 
the  outfield  does  not  do  any  good.  There  is 
no  place  in  the  outfield  where  you  can  get  a 
runner  out.  Therefore,  get  the  ball  inside  the 
diamond.  Be  sure  to  keep  in  close  touch  with 
the  game  always.  Before  each  man  goes  to 


THE    OUTFIELD  109 

the  plate,  figure  it  over  in  your  mind  where 
you  will  throw  the  ball  if  he  hits  to  you.  Keep 
in  front  of  you  the  number  of  runners  on  the 
bases  and  whip  the  ball  to  the  most  important 
place  just  as  soon  as  you  catch  it.  If  there  is 
no  one  on  the  bases  and  the  batter  makes  a 
single,  hurl  the  ball  to  second  base,  quickly, 
because  the  runner  is  liable  to  slip  up  another 
base  on  you  if  you  are  not  careful. 

Good  outfielders  need  good  arms.  A  man 
with  a  weak  wing  should  never  try  to  cover 
one  of  the  garden  positions,  because  there  are 
so  many  long  throws  to  make.  A  weak  arm 
means  that  every  time  the  batter  puts  up  a  fly 
with  a  runner  on  third  base,  no  matter  how 
short  it  may  be,  that  run  will  score.  In  throw- 
ing to  the  plate,  if  you  are  at  all  deep,  drive 
the  ball  on  a  line  and  let  the  catcher  take  it  on 
the  first  bound.  If  you  try  to  make  it  carry  on 
the  fly,  the  parabola  will  be  so  great  that  the 
runner  will  beat  the  ball  easily.  On  a  clean 
single,  with  none  on  the  bases,  the  outfielder 
should  never  throw  to  first  base,  because  there 
is  no  chance  of  catching  the  runner  at  that 
point  unless  he  should  slip  or  fall,  or  some  such 
unexpected  thing  occur.  A  wild  throw  to 
first  means  an  extra  base  for  the  runner. 
Throw  to  second  on  a  clean  single. 


110  HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

The  next  thing  against  which  I  want  to 
warn  an  outfielder  is  over-reaching  himself.  If 
there  is  a  short  line  hit,  and  you  do  not  think 
you  can  reach  the  ball  on  the  fly,  take  it  on 
the  bounce  and  make  it  sure.  Then  the  hitter 
gets  only  one  base.  If  you  dash  in  and  try  to 
take  the  ball  on  the  fly,  the  chances  are  you 
will  get  it  on  the  pick-up,  it  will  go  through 
you,  and  instead  of  one  base  the  man  will  make 
two  or  three.  The  outfielder  should  always 
be  busy  backing  up  the  infielders  whenever 
possible.  The  center  fielder  is  supposed  to 
back  up  second  base  on  all  throws. 

The  outfielder  must  not  be  afraid  to  make 
a  lot  of  noise.  If  he  goes  after  a  ball  and  he 
thinks  he  is  in  the  territory  of  either  of  the 
other  two  fielders,  he  should  yell,  in  loud  tones : 
"I've  got  it!" 

I  have  seen  many  good  men  laid  up  for 
months  through  collisions  with  other  outfield- 
ers because  they  did  not  yell. 

Conflicts  over  fly  balls  have  lost  many  games 
and  cost  many  players.  Outfielders  should  al- 
ways back  up  one  another,  however.  This  is 
very  important.  If  you  are  the  center  fielder 
and  there  is  a  hit  to  right  field,  which  the  right 
fielder  claims,  go  behind  him  and  back  him  up 
so  that  if  he  loses  the  ball  it  will  not  roll  to 


THE    OUTFIELD  111 

the  fence.  You  cannot  afford  to  get  lazy  on 
this.  Outfielders  should  always  back  up  the  in- 
fielders,  too,  whenever  possible.  Conscientious 
backing  up  is  almost  half  of  the  team  play 
of  baseball.  The  left  fielder  should  run  in  be- 
hind the  third  baseman  on  all  throws,  and  the 
right  fielder  should  ease  over  toward  first  on 
all  throws.  Many  times  you  will  make  the 
journey  in  vain,  but  there  will  come  an  occa- 
sion when  you  back  up  and  it  saves  a  game. 

The  good  outfielder  must  be  sure  on  ground 
balls,  because  a  hit  through  him  means  an  extra 
base  or  two  always.  He  should  not  play 
ground  balls  in  exactly  the  same  way  that  an 
infielder  does,  since  he  must  be  surer  of 
stopping  them,  and  the  outfield  ground  is  gen- 
erally rougher  than  that  of  the  infield.  He 
should  get  as  much  of  his  body  in  front  of  the 
ball  as  possible  and  be  certain  of  blocking  it. 

Many  youngsters  are  nervous  when  the  ball 
is  hit  high  in  the  air  at  them  because  they  have 
so  much  time  to  contemplate  the  consequences 
of  dropping  it  when  the  crowd  is  shouting  and 
endeavoring  to  rattle  them.  That  can  be 
remedied  by  keeping  the  eye  on  the  ball  and 
forgetting  everything  else.  Good  outfielders 
learn  to  do  this,  and  they  ignore  the  cheering 
entirely.  Never  banter  with  the  crowd,  as 


112   HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

that  is  dangerous  and  takes  your  mind  off  the 
game.  The  great  thing  to  do  is  to  keep  your 
mind  strictly  on  the  contest. 

Outfielders  should  learn  to  line  themselves 
up  for  a  relay  on  a  long  hit.  The  one  nearest 
the  ball  should  chase  it,  and  sometimes,  if  it  is 
an  extensive  wallop,  it  is  necessary  to  throw  it 
to  a  second  outfielder  before  it  can  be  passed 
to  the  infielder,  who  runs  outside  the  diamond 
to  receive  the  ball  and  throw  it  along  to  where 
it  will  do  the  most  good.  Let  the  man  with  the 
best  whip  of  the  other  two  who  have  not  pur- 
sued the  ball  relay  it  in.  Generally,  there  is 
one  man  in  an  outfield  who  has  the  best  arm 
of  the  three.  An  outfielder  should  devote  a 
good  deal  of  time  in  practicing  shooting  the 
ball  to  the  plate,  because  this  has  to  be  done 
frequently  on  sacrifice  flies  and  saves  plenty 
of  runs. 

When  you  catch  a  fly,  take  the  ball,  if  you 
have  plenty  of  time,  in  the  position  you  can  get 
a  throw  away  most  quickly.  For  instance,  if 
you  are  a  right-handed  player,  take  it  on  your 
right  side  and  drive  it  to  the  plate.  On  Big 
League  clubs,  many  outfielders  shift  accord- 
ing to  a  sign  passed  them  by  either  the  second 
baseman  or  shortstop,  indicating  what  sort  of 
a  ball  the  pitcher  will  throw.  On  an  amateur 


THE    OUTFIELD  113 

team  this  complicates  matters,  to  my  mind. 
Great  care  must  be  exercised  in  the  shift  be- 
cause, if  the  men  move  too  soon,  they  will  tip 
off  the  batter  to  what  ball  the  pitcher  intends 
to  throw.  You  cannot  start  to  shift  until  after 
the  pitcher  has  begun  his  motion,  and  you  must 
be  on  your  balance  again  by  the  time  the  ball 
reaches  the  batter.  My  advice  to  young  play- 
ers is  to  study  the  batters  closely  if  you  are 
playing  against  the  same  clubs  all  the  time  and 
shift  to  suit  their  styles.  If  you  see  a  man  hits 
naturally  toward  right  field  when  he  comes  to 
the  plate  a  couple  of  times,  let  all  the  outfield- 
ers move  around  that  way  slightly  on  his  next 
appearance.  You  can  often  tell  by  the  way 
in  which  a  man  swings  at  the  ball  where  he 
naturally  hits.  If  he  brings  his  bat  around 
late,  he  will  hit  to  right  field.  Or  if  he  picks  a 
ball  on  the  outside  of  the  plate,  he  will  natur- 
ally jam  it  to  right  field. 

My  closing  advice  to  outfielders  is,  be  on 
your  toes  every  time  the  pitcher  delivers  the 
ball,  with  your  hands  on  your  knees,  I  would 
suggest,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  move  in  any  di- 
rection. 


BATTING 

BATTING  is  a  matter  of  self-confidence 
and  a  good  eye.  Give  me  a  batter, 
and  I  will  make  a  ball  player  out  of 
him.  The  most  difficult  thing  in  baseball  to 
teach  a  young  ball  player  is  how  to  hit.  Al- 
ways bear  in  mind  in  learning  to  bat  that  what 
you  think  you  can  do  is  what  you  generally  ac- 
complish. 

It  has  been  frequently  asserted  by  baseball 
authorities  that  a  batter  cannot  be  made — that 
it  is  a  natural  gift,  like  writing  poetry.  I  do 
not  contend  that  instruction  will  make  a  bat- 
ter out  of  any  ball  player,  but  I  do  say  that 
many  men  develop  into  good  hitters  when 
minor  faults  are  corrected  because  they  have 
the  eye  and  the  nerve,  the  two  batting  essen- 
tials. 

The  worst  fault  of  most  amateur  ball  play- 
ers in  batting  is  a  tendency  to  step  away  from 
the  plate.  Until  this  shrinking  habit  is  over- 


BATTING  115 

come  a  ball  player  has  no  chance  of  becoming 
a  good  hitter.  Stepping  back  is  a  cardinal  sin 
in  baseball,  and  any  man  who  does  it  would 
look  foolish  against  an  experienced  pitcher,  be- 
cause by  keeping  the  ball  on  the  outside  of  the 
plate  he  could  prevent  the  back-stepping  bat- 
ter from  connecting  with  it  indefinitely.  That 
is  where  nerve  shows  in  batting.  A  man  must 
not  be  afraid  to  stand  up  to  the  plate. 

The  first  thing  that  a  batter  wants  to  learn 
is  to  follow  the  ball  with  the  eye  from  the  time 
it  leaves  the  pitcher's  hand.  Remember  that 
there  is  always  plenty  of  time  to  dodge,  and 
there  is  no  necessity  for  stepping  back  if  the 
ball  appears  to  be  coming  at  your  head  when 
the  pitcher  delivers  it.  Most  pitched  balls  can 
be  ducked  with  a  slight  movement  of  the  body 
without  stepping  out  of  your  tracks.  This  can 
be  accomplished  after  the  ball  has  almost 
reached  you.  As  soon  as  you  step  back,  you 
have  lost  your  chance  to  hit  the  ball. 

In  hitting,  much  depends  upon  form.  The 
best  style  is  to  "choke"  the  bat  up  short  and 
use  a  chop  swing.  Few  men  have  been  great 
hitters  who  attempt  to  take  a  free  swing  at  the 
ball.  (111.  No.  25.) 

After  grabbing  the  bat  about  six  inches 
down  from  the  handle  end,  take  your  position 


116  HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

in  the  batter's  box  about  a  foot  behind  the 
home-plate  so  that  you  have  your  opportunity 
to  step  up  and  get  a  curve  ball  after  it  breaks. 
Some  batters  attempt  to  run  up  out  of  the  box 
and  hit  at  a  curve  before  it  breaks.  Bresnahan, 
formerly  a  Giant,  frequently  attempted  this, 
thinking  it  would  worry  a  pitcher,  and  he  was 
very  successful  in  developing  this  form,  but 
I  would  advise  against  it.  The  umpire,  if  he 
is  particular,  will  stop  you  running  out  of  the 
batter's  box,  anyway.  You  should  step 
straight  ahead  with  a  snap  swing,  getting  the 
body  into  the  blow  with  the  step.  In  holding 
the  bat,  keep  the  hands  not  more  than  two  or 
three  inches  apart,  except  when  you  are  bunt- 
ing. Stand  about  six  inches  back  from  the 
plate  when  waiting  for  the  pitch,  so  you  can 
step  up  a  little.  Do  not  crowd  the  plate. 

Now,  to  overcome  the  most  serious  fault  of 
all — stepping  back — if  you  have  it.  As  you 
stand  in  the  box  before  the  ball  is  delivered, 
let  some  one  draw  a  line  from  your  back  heel 
parallel  to  the  plate,  toward  the  pitcher's  box. 
Then  practice  keeping  your  front  foot  on  the 
plate  side  of  this  line  when  you  step.  At  first, 
to  get  the  muscular  motions  correctly,  you 
might  try  this  without  anybody  pitching  to 
you.  It  will  be  easy  then  because  the  reason 


BATTING  117 

a  batter  steps  back  is  his  fear  of  getting  hit 
with  a  pitched  ball. 

After  your  body  has  become  accustomed  to 
making  the  correct  motions,  let  somebody  pitch 
to  you.  If  you  are  still  inclined  to  step  back, 
ask  the  pitcher  to  aim  the  ball  at  your  head, 
and  you  will  find  that  it  is  very  easy  to  duck  a 
ball  coming  at  your  head  without  moving  out 
of  your  tracks.  Just  pull  your  head  back. 

Now,  the  head  is  practically  the  only  tender 
spot  on  a  batter.  You  can  get  hit  with  a 
pitched  ball  in  the  body  and  it  will  not  do  much 
damage.  A  batter  must  not  be  timid.  You 
will  get  hurt  much  worse  by  running  away 
than  if  you  stay  up  to  the  plate,  because  in 
ducking  back  you  lose  sight  of  the  ball  and  are 
liable  to  get  hit  in  the  stomach  or  some  other 
soft  spot,  whereas,  if  you  stand  up  in  your 
batting  position  there  is  no  vulnerable  portion 
of  the  anatomy  exposed.  Always  remember 
that  if  you  are  nicked  by  a  pitched  ball  it  is 
not  going  to  kill  you.  And  do  not  be  afraid 
of  speed.  A  fast  one  hurts  less  than  a  slow 
ball.  If  you  see  that  the  ball  is  going  to  hit 
you,  just  tighten  up  your  muscles  and  take  it. 
A  fast  ball  glances  off.  A  slow  ball  sinks  in. 
Take  a  few  pitched  balls  in  the  ribs  and  you 
will  get  over  being  afraid  of  them  when  you 


118   HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

find  they  don't  hurt  much.  Then  you  are  on 
a  fair  way  to  become  a  good  hitter.  Baseball 
is  not  a  game  for  mollycoddles. 

To  become  a  batter,  I  would  not  advise  a 
boy  or  young  man  changing  his  natural  form. 
By  this  I  mean  that  if  he  is  a  right-handed 
batter  he  should  not  attempt  to  swing  around 
to  the  other  side  of  the  plate  and  hit  left- 
handed.  Many  coachers  of  schoolboys  will 
try  to  convert  a  natural  right-handed  hitter 
into  a  left-handed  batter  because  they  argue  it 
does  not  take  him  so  long  to  reach  first  base. 
That,  of  course,  is  true,  but  the  gain  to  a  left- 
hander is  not  more  than  a  step  at  best,  and  a 
complete  shift  in  form  is  not  worth  the  differ- 
ence. Batters  more  often  beat  out  hits  be- 
cause they  get  a  quick  start  from  the  plate 
rather  than  because  they  are  left-handed  hit- 
ters. 

There  is  another  thing  against  which  I  want 
to  warn  all  young  batters.  Some  boys  will 
swing  cross-handed.  By  this  I  mean  that  a 
right-handed  hitter  will  put  his  left  hand  on 
top  of  the  right  in  holding  a  bat,  or  vice  versa. 
No  player  was  ever  successful  in  hitting  this 
way  because  the  awkward  position  of  the  hands 
prevents  a  man  from  swinging  accurately  at 
the  ball  and  results  in  a  clumsiness  of  form 


BATTING  119 

that  prevents  good  hitting.  To  correct  this 
habit,  if  any  boy  has  it,  let  him  swing  around 
to  the  other  side  of  the  plate  and  try  hitting 
left-handed,  still  keeping  the  left  hand  on  top, 
of  course.  This  cross-handed  fault  is  more 
prevalent  in  right-handed  hitters  than  left,  I 
have  found.  At  first  this  batting  left-handed 
will  seem  clumsy,  but,  with  practice,  should 
get  results.  If  he  is  not  successful  in  thus 
reversing  his  position,  he  should  return  to  the 
right-handed  form,  but  keep  the  right  hand 
on  top  of  the  left  in  holding  the  bat.  That  is 
essential. 

There  has  been  a  general  effort  among  Big 
League  managers  recently  to  develop  scien- 
tific hitters.  I  instruct  all  my  recruits  to  bat 
scientifically,  that  is,  with  the  "choked"  bat 
and  snap  swing.  Remember  that  you  do  not 
have  to  knock  the  cover  off  the  ball  to  drive  it. 
If  you  just  meet  the  ball  with  your  body  be- 
hind the  blow  you  will  find  that  you  get  satis- 
factory results.  Hold  the  bat,  while  waiting 
for  the  pitch,  in  front  of  you  and  as  high  as 
possible  without  being  unnatural.  Always  hit 
down  on  the  ball.  In  this  way  you  will  get 
line  drives  or  ground  hits,  which  are  far  more 
valuable  than  flies.  By  hitting  on  top  of  the 
ball  you  are  more  likely  to  have  a  high  batting 


120   HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 


average  and  less  likely  to  hit  into  a  double 
play. 

Now  I  come  to  an  important  feature  of  bat- 
ting. Every  player  should  learn  to  pick  out 
good  balls.  Never  hit  at  a  bad  one  because, 
in  this  way,  you  are  giving  the  pitcher  an  ad- 
vantage, and  every  time  you  come  to  the  bat  it 
is  a  contest  of  wits  between  the  pitcher  and 
you.  Good  batters  do  not  let  the  pitcher  get 
them  into  the  hole — that  is,  with  more  strikes 
than  balls — by  hitting  at  everything  that  he 
throws  them.  When  you  make  a  pitcher  work 
to  the  limit  every  time  you  bat  you  are  not 
only  helping  yourself  but  your  club.  If  a 
twirler  finds  that  a  small  man  will  offer  at  a 
ball  off  the  outside  of  the  plate,  he  will  keep 
them  there  and  the  batter  will  never  get  a  hit. 
A  small  man  cannot  reach  a  ball  on  the  outside 
of  the  plate.  Therefore,  it  is  very  important 
that  a  batter  become  a  good  judge  of  a  strike, 
and  this  knowledge  can  only  be  obtained  by 
practice  and  self-confidence.  The  short  hold 
will  help  you  in  this,  because  you  can  stop 
your  swing  before  the  bat  crosses  the  plate  if 
you  see  the  ball  breaking  out  of  reach,  and  a 
strike  will  not  be  called  on  you. 

In  scientific  batting,  a  man  should  learn  to 
"hit  behind  the  runner,"  as  Big  Leaguers  call 


Illustration  No.  30 — "  Johnny"  Evers,  manager  of  the  Cubs,  at 

the  finish  of  his  swing.     As  a  ball  player,  Evers  is  one 

of  the  craftiest  the  game  ever  produced. 


BATTING  121 

it.  By  this,  I  mean  that  if  there  is  a  run- 
ner on  first  base,  the  batter  should  try  to  hit 
toward  right  field.  It  is  easy  to  explain  the 
reason.  If  he  smashes  the  ball  at  the  shortstop 
or  third  baseman,  he  will  probably  hit  into  a 
double  play,  forcing  the  runner  at  second  base; 
but  if  he  drives  it  to  right  field,  the  runner 
should  reach  third  base,  and,  even  if  he  hit  to 
the  first  baseman,  the  chances  are  much  better 
for  the  runner  reaching  second  than  if  he  hits 
to  the  shortstop  or  third  base.  With  a  man  on 
first,  even  if  the  batter  makes  a  clean  single  to 
left  field,  the  runner  will  probably  get  no  fur- 
ther than  second  base. 

After  getting  so  you  can  pick  out  a  strike, 
you  must  learn  what  kind  of  a  ball  you  will 
drive  to  right  or  left  field  as  the  occasion  may 
demand.  For  instance,  a  right-handed  batter 
would  not  pick  out  a  ball  on  the  inside  of  the 
plate  if  he  wanted  to  hit  to  right  field.  He 
can  very  easily  drive  a  ball  on  the  outside  to 
right  field.  It  is  practically  impossible  to  hit 
an  inside  ball  to  right  because  you  would  have 
to  push  it  with  the  handle  of  the  bat.  A  good 
batter  should  learn  to  hit  one  kind  of  a  ball  as 
easily  as  another.  That  is,  he  should  not  de- 
velop a  "groove." 

The  next  feature  of  batting  that  I  want  to 


122   HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

take  up  is  bunting.  No  man  was  ever  a  good 
ball  player  who  could  not  bunt  the  ball.  This 
requires  much  practice  and  is  not  dependent 
upon  natural  ability.  First  of  all,  in  bunting, 
learn  to  pick  out  good  balls.  It  is  impossible 
to  lay  a  bad  ball  down,  and  if  the  pitcher  sus- 
pects you  are  going  to  bunt,  he  will  keep  the 
ball  high,  as  the  low  ball  is  preferable  for  bunt- 
ing. Therefore,  be  careful  not  to  telegraph  or 
give  any  indication  that  you  intend  to  lay  it 
down.  Hold  your  bat  as  you  would  if  you 
were  going  to  hit  the  ball  out  until  the  pitcher 
has  delivered  it.  Just  as  he  lets  go  of  the  ball, 
run  your  right  hand,  if  you  are  a  right-handed 
batter,  about  half-way  down  the  bat  and  hold 
the  stick  loosely  so  as  to  deaden  the  bunting 
of  the  ball.  Get  your  bat  out  in  front  of  you. 
(111.  No.  26.) 

In  all,  the  bat  should  not  be  moved  more 
than  eight  inches  in  bunting.  Remember  that 
it  is  all  done  out  in  front.  Do  not  hold  your 
bat  behind  the  line  of  your  body,  because  if 
you  do  the  ball  will  not  drop  down  dead,  but 
a  short  fly  is  liable  to  result.  The  whole  secret 
of  bunting  is  dropping  the  bat  on  the  ball 
while  the  stick  is  held  loosely. 

Do  not  bunt  the  ball  straight  at  the  pitcher, 


BATTING  123 

but  turn  it  either  toward  first  or  third  bases. 
This  can  easily  be  accomplished  by  holding  the 
bat  at  an  angle  and  will  come  with  practice. 
An  advantage  of  getting  the  bat  a  foot  or  two 
in  front  of  the  plate  is  that  you  have  a  better 
chance  of  bunting  the  ball  fair  and  along  the 
base  line.  You  are  then  inside  the  diamond 
when  you  bunt  it  rather  than  outside,  which 
you  would  be  if  you  held  the  bat  back  of  the 
plate. 

As  soon  as  you  bunt  the  ball,  get  away  to 
first  base.  The  secret  of  beating  out  bunts  is 
in  the  runner's  start.  But  do  not  misunder- 
stand me.  Many  young  ball  players  will  be 
so  anxious  to  break  away  from  the  plate  in  a 
hurry  that  they  will  mess  up  their  bunt  as  a 
result  of  this  eagerness.  First,  make  sure  that 
you  have  laid  the  ball  down,  and  then  get  your 
start.  Recently,  in  the  Big  League,  the  bunt 
has  been  used  to  sacrifice  a  runner  around  the 
bases,  and  the  primary  purpose  of  that  is  to 
advance  a  runner  and  not  get  the  batter  on 
first  base.  Always  remember  this  when  you 
bunt  the  ball,  and  make  sure  that  you  have  laid 
it  down  so  that  the  runner  can  advance,  for- 
getting all  about  yourself  until  that  part  of 


124   HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 


the  job  is  done.  Then  do  your  best  to  beat 
it  out. 

The  batter  should,  above  all  things,  make 
the  bunt  unexpected.  After  a  ball  player  has 
learned  the  fine  points  of  hitting,  he  will  find 
that  he  can  start  to  bunt  and  then  hit  the  ball 
out,  if  he  sees  a  third  baseman  coming  in,  by  a 
quick  snap  swing.  That  is  one  of  the  advan- 
tages of  this  "choked"  style  which  I  recom- 
mend. A  man  who  takes  a  long  swing  at  the 
ball  could  not  do  this. 

In  conclusion,  I  want  to  emphasize  the  fact 
that,  to  be  a  successful  batter,  a  boy  should 
develop  his  eye  and  his  courage.  Never  run 
away  from  a  pitched  ball.  Always  show 
nerve.  If  the  pitcher  has  the  count,  two 
strikes  and  one  ball  against  you,  do  not  make 
up  your  mind  you  are  going  to  swing  at  the 
next  ball  for  fear  of  its  being  called  the  third 
strike.  The  chances  are  the  pitcher  will  try 
to  get  you  to  swing  at  a  bad  one  because  he 
has  you  in  a  hole.  Look  it  over  carefully  be- 
fore you  hit  at  it,  and  keep  out  of  the  hole. 
As  I  have  said,  learn  to  bat  to  the  different 
fields,  using  judgment  according  to  the  situa- 
tion. Employ  a  natural  style,  if  it  has  none 
of  the  glaring  faults  I  have  mentioned,  but 


BATTING  125 

develop  the  "choke"  hold  on  the  bat  and  the 
chop  swing.  Step  square  out  and  a  little 
bit  toward  the  plate  and  into  the  ball.  The 
step  is  an  important  thing,  and  remember 
that  self-confidence  is  the  big  asset  in  bat- 
ting. 


XI 

BASE  RUNNING 

SPEED  does  not  necessarily  make  a  base 
runner.  Many  sprinters  who  have 
climbed  to  the  Big  League  have  been 
poor  base  runners  until  drilled  in  the  art.  Fast 
men,  however,  have  a  big  advantage  over  the 
slower  ones,  because  they  can  let  out  between 
the  bases ;  but,  if  you  are  not  a  ten-second  per- 
former, do  not  become  discouraged  and  feel 
you  cannot  learn  any  of  the  tricks  of  running 
the  bags. 

Base  running  is  one  of  the  important  fea- 
tures of  playing  the  game  right,  because  it  is 
through  clever  work  on  the  paths  that  the  tal- 
lies are  scored,  and,  if  a  man  is  going  to  be 
so  thick-skulled  every  time  he  gets  a  life  that 
he  will  be  put  out,  it  is  no  advantage  for  his 
team  to  get  him  on  the  bags.  He  will  only 
block  them  anyway,  then.  The  essentials  of 
base  running  are  speed  between  the  bags,  a 
quick  start,  a  good  slide  coming  in,  and  brains. 

There  are  several  rules  which  every  player 
126 


BASE   RUNNING  127 

should  follow  when  he  arrives  on  the  bases. 
The  first  and  most  important  is  that  he  is 
never  out  until  he  is  touched  by  the  ball. 
Many  players  who  get  up  as  high  as  the  Big 
Leagues  seem  to  forget  this,  and  readily  sur- 
render when  their  death  appears  to  be  prob- 
able. I  fine  a  man  on  my  club  who  does  that 
kind  of  work.  The  base  runner  must  always 
bear  in  mind  the  situation  at  hand,  or  the 
"stage."  It  is  imperative  that  he  keep  track 
of  the  score,  the  number  of  outs,  the  count  on 
the  batter,  the  other  men  on  the  bases,  if  any, 
and  various  details.  The  score  makes  a  big 
difference,  and  his  actions  are  largely  influ- 
enced by  it.  There  are  certain  times  when 
he  would  take  a  long  chance,  and  other  occa- 
sions when  it  pays  to  be  conservative.  I  be- 
lieve poor  base  running  loses  more  ball  games 
than  any  other  one  thing,  but  the  reason  so 
little  is  heard  of  it  is  because  poor  base  run- 
ning is  not  as  apparent  to  the  spectator  as  bad 
fielding  and  batting.  More  men  on  my  club 
are  fined  for  poor  base  running  than  for  any 
other  kind  of  "bulls."  I  do  not  find  fault 
with  a  man  for  a  mechanical  fielding  error, 
but,  if  he  loafs  on  a  hit  that  should  go  for  two 
bases,  and  takes  only  one  on  it,  he  will  find 
himself  fined.  Such  mistakes  as  this  break 


128  HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 


up  ball  games.  A  poor  runner  on  the  bases 
who  does  not  know  when  to  take  a  chance  and 
will  try  to  steal  whenever  the  spirit  prompts 
him  will  lose  the  game  for  you  any  time  if 
you  don't  watch  him  closely.  Many  things 
must  be  taken  into  consideration  in  running 
the  bases.  First  of  all,  the  pitcher  is  the  key 
to  the  situation  when  a  stolen  base  is  planned. 
Pitchers  are  responsible  for  almost  as  many 
stolen  bases  as  the  catchers.  The  catcher  must 
also  be  taken  into  the  equation,  however. 

Of  course,  every  player  should  endeavor  to 
develop  speed.  ]>j[£xt,  he  must  le^rn  thp  honlc 
slide—  tomy  mind  the  most  valuable  asset  of  \ 
any  base  runner.  This  consists  in  hooking  the 
bagwith  jme  leg  and  throwing  the  bodyjiway 
from  JJieJ^eman-  covering  -it  s  . 


the  smallest  possible  surface  t^jouch»_-and.in- 

base.    Only 


practice  will  get  you  that  hook  slide.  With 
this  almost  any  ball  player  will  find  he  will 
rank  high  among  the  best  base  runners  on 
his  team.  It  is  surprising  how  often  it  gets 
a  man  into  the  bag  safe  after  the  baseman  is 
waiting  for  him  with  the  ball.  (111.  No.  27.) 
In  stealing  second,  watch  the  baseman  and 
not  the  ball,  because,  if  you  try  to  turn  to  see 
where  the  ball  i$  coming  in,  you  are  going  to 


BASE    RUNNING  129 

lose  speed,  and  a  step  or  two  counts  a  whole 
lot  in  stealing  second.  By  watching  the  man 
who  is  going  to  cover,  you  can  figure  out 
where  the  ball  is  coming  from,  and  throw  your 
body  away  from  it,  so  as  to  make  it  harder  for 
him  to  put  it  on  you.  Slide  around  him  if 
he  tries  to  block  you  off  the  bag;  assert  your 
rights  by  sliding  in  with  your  spikes  showing, 
but  never  put  the  steel  to  a  man  on  purpose 
for  the  sake  of  putting  him  out  of  the  game 
when  there  is  no  excuse  for  it. 

My  suggestion  for  learning  the  hook  slide 
is  for  a  crowd  of  boys  to  put  a  bag  in  a  sand 
box  and  practice  running  at  full  speed  and 
sliding  into  this,  just  hooking  the  bag  with 
your  toe.  Be  careful  not  to  overslide  the  bag, 
because  then  you  are  out  sure.  I  would  advise 
all  boys  to  slide  feet  first,  since  there  is  less 
danger  of  hurting  some  vital  part  that  way, 
and  you  can  command  more  respect  from  the 
baseman.  Only  a  few  Big  Leaguers  use  the 
head-first  slide  nowadays.  (111.  No.  28.) 

Base  runners  must  learn  to  watch  and  obey 
their  coachers.  That  is  the  secret  of  good 
base  running,  and  the  coachers  selected  have 
got  to  be  clever  men.  As  a  general  rule,  I 
believe  it  advisable  for  a  team  to  select  two 
or  three  men  who  appear  to  be  the  most  com- 


130  HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 


patent  in  this  line  for  the  regular  coachers 
to  advise  the  base  runners.  When  things  are 
not  so  important  other  players  can  go  out  on 
the  lines  and  try  their  hands  at  coaching,  so 
that  they  may  learn  the  ropes.  When  a  man 
is  coaching  he  gets  a  look  at  the  whole  game, 
and  this  experience  is  valuable,  because  it  will 
help  him  in  his  base  running.  Frequently  the 
crowd  will  make  so  much  noise  after  the  ball 
is  hit  it  is  impossible  to  hear  the  coachers' 
voices.  It  is  necessary,  therefore,  for  them 
to  depend  largely  on  motions.  If  you  see  a 
coacher  waving  to  you  to  come  on,  do  not  hesi- 
tate to  obey,  because  he  is  supposed  to  be  in 
a  position  to  exercise  better  judgment  than 
you,  and  he  will  be  to  blame  if  you  are  caught. 
Never  run  into  a  block  sign  given  by  a  coacher. 
It  is  easy  for  a  coacher  to  stop  a  man  on  any 
base  by  holding  up  the  hand  like  a  traffic  cop 
when  he  halts  a  string  of  vehicles.  If  the 
coacher  wants  you  to  go  back,  he  will  wave  his 
hands  toward  you,  while  he  will  beckon  if  he 
thinks  you  should  continue.  These  signals  are 
easy  to  grasp.  They  are  not  hidden,  and  the 
intent  is  evident  on  the  face  of  them. 

Let  us  take  a  specific  case.  If  you  are  on 
first  base  and  the  batter  makes  a  hit,  of  course 
you  must  go  to  second — we  are  taking  it  for 


BASE    RUNNING  131 

granted  that  the  word  hit  means  a  safe  one. 
Do  not  look  anywhere  until  just  before  you 
reach  second  base.  Then  glance  toward  the 
coacher  at  third.  If  he  is  beckoning  to  you 
to  come  on,  take  the  turn  without  breaking 
your  stride,  and  swing  away  toward  third  at 
top  speed  without  having  slowed  up.  As  you 
approach  third  glance  at  the  coacher  again. 
If  he  is  pushing  his  hands  down  toward  the 
ground  you  know  he  means  that  there  is  going 
to  be  a  play  at  the  bag,  and  you  have  got  to 
slide.  Look  at  the  baseman  to  see  how  he  is 
playing,  and  "hit  the  dirt"  so  as  to  make  it 
as  difficult  as  possible  for  him  to  tag  you.  Of 
course,  the  coacher  will  use  his  voice,  too,  but 
the  shouted  instructions  should  always  be  sup- 
plemented with  signals. 

As  you  approach  the  base  you  may  be  able 
to  hear  him  yell,  "Slide!  Slide!"  But,  by 
looking  at  his  motions,  you  can  surely  tell 
what  he  means  for  you  to  do.  The  coacher 
must  be  careful  not  to  tell  a  man  to  slide  un- 
less he  has  to  in  order  to  get  the  base.  Every 
time  a  ball  player  "hits  the  dirt"  he  takes  a 
chance  on  a  sprained  ankle,  or  twisted  knee, 
or  some  other  injury  that  may  put  him  out  of 
the  game  for  some  time.  Therefore,  it  is  the 
coacher's  duty  to  save  the  men  as  much  as 


132  HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 


possible,  and  not  order  any  one  to  slide  when 
he  can  just  as  well  come  into  the  base  standing 
up. 

The  great  thing  in  stealing  a  base  is  the 
start,  or  "jump."  Whenever  you  get  to  first 
on  a  safe  hit,  always  take  your  turn,  because 
you  can  never  tell  when  some  one  is  going  to 
mishandle  the  ball  and  you  will  be  able  to 
move  up  one  more  base  on  the  fumble  or 
throw.  An  extra  base  very  often  means  the 
victory  in  a  game  of  ball,  especially  the  differ- 
ence between  first  and  second,  because  a  hit 
scores  a  man  on  second,  while  it  carries  a  run- 
ner on  first  generally  only  to  second,  sometimes 
to  third.  Therefore,  never  fail  to  take  the 
turn. 

Get  your  lead  as  soon  as  you  reach  first  base. 
Study  the  pitcher  closely.  On  some  twirlers 
you  can  take  a  bigger  lead  than  on  others,  ac- 
cording to  a  pitcher's  style  of  delivery 
and  preliminary  motions.  Always  be  up  on 
your  toes,  ready  to  get  back  to  the  bag.  One 
thing  about  which  you  should  be  careful  is  not 
to  let  the  pitcher  get  you  going  the  wrong  way 
— that  is,  with  your  weight  toward  second,  so 
you  cannot  scramble  back.  You  are  almost 
sure  to  be  caught  flat-footed  then.  If  you  are 
playing  against  the  same  clubs  continually  you 


BASE    RUNNING  133 

should  be  able  to  figure  out  exactly  how  big  a 
lead  you  can  take  on  each  pitcher.  The  thing 
is  figured  down  so  fine  in  the  majors  that  a 
pitcher  can  tell  just  how  much  each  player 
can  take  on  him.  Some  can  take  more  than 
others.  If  he  notices  the  man  a  little  farther 
away  than  the  stipulated  distance,  then  he  can 
get  him.  The  reason  some  pitchers  can  hold 
men  closer  to  the  bag  than  others  is  because  of 
a  sort  of  half -balk  motion  which  they  develop. 
It  is  a  balk,  according  to  the  rules,  if  the 
pitcher  faces  the  plate  and  makes  a  motion 
toward  the  batter  and  then  throws  to  first. 
The  base  runner  can  leave  the  bag  just  as  soon 
as  the  twirler  begins  his  delivery,  but  some 
twirlers  have  a  habit  of  hunching  their  pitch- 
ing shoulder,  as  if  to  deliver  the  ball  to  the 
batter,  and  then  throwing  to  first.  Watch  out 
for  such  tricks.  The  pitcher  will  often  throw 
to  the  bag,  when  he  does  not  expect  to  get 
you,  but  simply  to  hold  you  close — that  is, 
he  will  if  he  is  a  good  pitcher. 

By  clever  leading  the  smart  base  runner  can 
outguess  the  catcher  and  make  him  think  he 
is  going  to  try  to  steal.  In  this  way  he  in- 
duces the  receiver  to  order  pitchouts,  which 
means  that  the  twirler  wastes  a  couple  of  balls. 
Then  the  batter  has  him  in  the  hole,  and  he 


134   HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

must  lay  the  ball  over  the  plate.  When  the 
pitcher  is  forced  to  put  the  ball  over  the  plate 
you  have  a  better  chance  of  making  second 
than  when  he  can  afford  to  waste  one.  Under 
the  latter  circumstances  the  catcher  receives 
the  ball  in  a  perfect  position  to  throw,  and 
can  get  it  away  much  quicker.  Jockeying  is 
also  essential  to  the  successful  working  of  the 
hit-and-run  play,  as  I  showed  in  my  article 
on  team  work.  When  you  finally  make  up 
your  mind  to  go,  edge  a  little  farther  off  the 
base  than  heretofore,  and  dig  with  the  first 
hint  of  a  motion  toward  the  batter.  Don't  go 
unless  you  have  the  "jump." 

If  players  display  inclinations  to  steal  at 
the  wrong  time  the  captain  or  manager  of  a 
club  should  arrange  a  sign  to  tell  each  man 
when  to  go.  Nothing  will  disturb  the  equi- 
librium of  a  ball  game  like  a  man  running 
down  on  you  at  the  wrong  stage.  I  retain 
absolute  control  of  my  men.  Every  time  one 
of  the  Giants  tries  to  steal  a  base  he  does  it 
at  my  direct  orders. 

There  are  many  fancy  angles  to  base  run- 
ning, but  these  points  which  I  have  just  made 
are  the  fundamental  ones.  The  double  steal, 
for  instance,  is  a  great  play,  but  one  to  try 
only  when  your  club  is  far  in  the  lead,  or  trail- 


BASE   RUNNING  135 

ing  by  a  good  margin.  It  is  rated  as  a  long 
chance.  If  one  run  will  benefit  you  and  put 
you  in  the  game,  or  put  you  ahead,  and  none 
is  out,  that  is  no  time  to  essay  the  double  steal. 
It  is  a  good  play  when  two  are  out,  and  a  weak 
batter  up.  The  smart  base  runners  must 
catch  their  opponents  off  their  guard  in  exe- 
cuting it.  Try  the  double  steal  when  it  is  not 
expected.  To  succeed  with  it  the  opposing 
team  must  be  outguessed. 

Base  runners  should  always  make  a  fight 
of  it  when  nipped  between  the  bags,  especially 
if  there  is  a  man  running  behind.  By  dying 
hard,  you  will  give  him  a  chance  to  move  up 
a  base  while  you  are  being  put  out,  if  you 
are  caught  between  second  and  third,  or  third 
and  home.  Then  there  is  always  the  chance 
for  a  slip  and  both  being  safe.  Remember 
all  these  little  things.  Of  course,  if  it  is  a 
warm  day,  the  pitcher  should  not  permit  the 
other  side  to  run  him  to  death  and  tire  him 
out,  so  that  he  will  not  be  able  to  work  the 
next  inning. 

Always  be  wide-awake  in  running  the  bases. 
Bear  in  mind  the  count  on  the  batter.  If  it  is 
three  balls  and  two  strikes,  start  for  the  next 
base  on  the  windup  and  run  hard.  The  batter 
must  either  hit  it,  or  walk,  or  strike  out.  You 


136  HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

have  two  chances  that  you  will  have  to  move 
anyway,  and,  if  he  does  hit  it,  glance  at  the 
coacher,  or  the  ball,  if  you  can  see  it,  to  be 
sure  it  is  not  a  fly.  Practice  makes  a  man's 
ears  so  keen  he  can  tell  by  the  sound  of  the 
ball  on  the  bat  whether  it  is  a  fly  ball  or  not. 
If  the  batter  does  fan  you  still  have  a  chance 
to  steal.  Don't  try  to  steal  home.  It  is  a 
foolish  play  at  any  stage,  and  the  chances 
are  always  against  you.  Do  not  joke  with  the 
basemen,  because  they  will  take  your  mind  off 
the  ball  and  catch  you  asleep.  If  a  baseman 
says  anything  to  you,  let  him  talk  along  to 
himself.  It  is  an  old  trick  of  the  Big  League 
to  draw  a  man  into  conversation,  and  then 
have  some  other  player  sneak  in  and  tag  him. 
Big  Leaguers  call  this  "turning  the  runner," 
because  his  head  is  turned  away  from  the  ball 
when  he  looks  around  to  answer. 

As  a  rule  follow  the  ball  closely  when  you 
can  without  reducing  your  speed,  and  obey 
your  coachers.  Be  ready  to  jump  into  full 
speed  at  the  slightest  sign  from  a  coacher  after 
you  have  started  to  slow  up  coming  into  a  base 
on  a  hit.  Always  have  coachers  on  the  lines. 
They  are  important.  Make  up  a  clear,  concise 
set  of  signs  for  base  running.  When  the  sig- 
nal is  given  for  the  double  steal,  make  sure 


BASE   RUNNING  137 

that  every  one  involved  understands.  This 
list  includes  the  batter  and  the  two  base  run- 
ners. The  coacher  usually  gives  the  sign, 
which  is  some  simple  and  natural  movement. 
He  should  get  an  answer  from  the  batter  and 
both  base  runners. 

Stealing  third,  as  a  rule,  is  unprofitable,  un- 
less there  is  some  good  reason  for  it.  The  suc- 
cessful steal  of  second  pays  better.  You  can 
score  on  a  hit  from  second.  The  double  steal, 
with  men  on  first  and  second,  is  a  bad  play 
for  a  close  game.  It  is  used  only  now  and 
then  to  "cross"  the  other  team.  On  long  hits, 
learn  to  touch  all  the  bags  without  slowing  up. 
Just  step  on  the  inside  corner  of  each  base. 
And  you  must  have  wind  to  sprint  around  the 
bags  on  a  long  hit.  Therefore,  cultivate  en- 
durance. 


XII 

TEAM    WORK 

VARIOUS  estimates  have  been  haz- 
arded by  experts  on  the  value  of  a 
manager  to  a  ball  club.  Some  critics 
do  not  figure  him  into  the  equation  at  all, 
while  others  overrate  him.  It  is  a  co-opera- 
tive position.  The  team  cannot  get  along 
without  a  directing  force,  and  the  manager 
cannot  succeed  without  a  team.  In  these  re- 
marks on  managing  a  team,  in  the  case  of  most 
amateur  clubs  they  will  apply  to  the  captain 
when  I  refer  to  the  duties  of  the  manager,  be- 
cause, as  a  rule,  such  a  club  does  not  have  any 
other  leader.  ( 111.  No.  29. ) 

Team  play  is  very  important  to  the  success 
of  a  club,  and  it  is  increasing  in  its  impor- 
tance every  season.  Within  the  last  three 
years  I  have  seen  clubs  in  the  Big  Leagues 
composed  of  good  players  which  have  failed 
to  succeed  because  they  lacked  an  efficient 
style  of  team  play. 

First,  if  you  are  the  captain  or  manager  of 
138 


TEAM   WORK  139 

a  ball  club,  select  your  general  style  of  play. 
If  you  have  a  team  of  fast  men,  I  would  ad- 
vise the  shifting,  versatile  attack,  switching 
constantly  on  your  opponents.  This  keeps 
them  guessing,  and  the  great  thing  to  do  is  to 
worry  your  enemies  on  the  diamond. 

If  the  club  is  slow  and  inclined  to  be  slug- 
gish, but  has  many  hard  hitters,  you  will  have 
to  adopt  a  more  conservative  plan.  It  is  fool- 
ish to  send  a  slow  man  down  to  steal  second. 
You  will  be  forced  to  depend  on  the  batting 
of  the  men  who  follow  him  to  the  plate.  Play- 
ers of  the  sluggish  cast  are  not  so  desirable  as 
the  other  type.  Speed  is  the  great  thing  nowa- 
days. 

Keep  after  the  players  all  the  time.  En- 
courage them  and  insist  that  they  keep  con- 
stantly on  their  toes.  Make  them  show  plenty 
of  pepper  and  spirit  and  aggression.  This 
carries  a  long  way.  Never  let  the  other  side 
(see  you  are  beaten  or  are  losing  courage. 

First  of  all,  the  young  ball  player  must 
learn  about  the  "stages"  of  a  game.  There 
are  many  things  you  would  try  at  one  "stage" 
which  would  be  ridiculous  under  other  condi- 
tions. There  are  times  when  it  pays  to  be 
conservative  and  others  when  it  is  best  to  take 
the  long  chance.  The  latter  represents  the 


140  HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 


desperate  "stage."  Every  team  should  have  a 
leader  in  charge,  whether  he  is  the  captain  or 
manager,  and  the  players  should  obey  his  or- 
ders implicitly.  If  he  is  not  competent,  get 
another  leader,  but  follow  the  man  you  have 
picked  out. 

Players  make  a  hit  with  me  who  work  hard 
all  the  time,  show  an  aggressive  spirit,  and 
keep  chewing  the  rag.  As  long  as  an  infield 
maintains  a  running  fire  of  conversation,  the 
other  team  is  impressed  with  your  confidence. 
It  also  keeps  up  the  fighting  spirit  of  your 
fellow-players.  Now,  do  not  misunderstand 
me  by  the  use  of  the  term  "fighting  spirit." 

There  is  such  a  thing  in  a  ball  game  as  a 
healthy,  fighting  spirit  that  does  not  neces- 
sitate a  knowledge  of  the  Marquis  of  Queens- 
berry  rules  and  regulations.  Keep  after  the 
other  team  all  the  time  by  every  fair  means 
you  have  at  your  command.  It's  all  right  to 
try  to  discourage  an  opponent  by  clean  con- 
versation. 

"We'll  get  you  yet,"  you  can  shout  at  him 
if  you  are  behind.  "Watch  us  come  at  the 
finish." 

Or  if  your  club  is  leading: 

"Well,  we've  got  you  on  the  run.  You'll 
never  catch  us  now." 


TEAM   WORK  141 

The  young  player  must  remember  that  it  is 
best  to  sacrifice  individual  records  for  the  team 
success.  Always  play  for  the  club  first.  And 
while  we  are  still  discussing  the  spirit  of  a 
club,  which  comes  under  the  head  of  team 
work,  I  want  to  advise  all  infielders  to  throw 
the  ball  around  as  much  as  possible  when  no 
danger  is  attached  to  the  process.  If  a  run- 
ner is  retired  at  first  and  there  are  no  others 
on  the  bases,  pass  the  ball  around  the  infield 
with  a  display  of  pepper  that  would  look  like 
a  show  of  confidence  on  a  moving-picture  film. 
It  impresses  the  other  team,  and,  besides, 
keeps  the  infielders,  who  may  have  been  idle 
for  some  time,  livened  up  and  warmed  to  their 
work.  But  always  be  careful  not  to  throw  the 
ball  around  if  there  is  a  man  on  base,  when  a 
wild  heave  would  be  detrimental  to  your  club. 
Bear  in  mind  constantly  the  "stage"  of  the 
game,  which  means  keeping  track  of  the  num- 
ber of  outs  in  the  inning,  the  score,  and  the 
count  on  the  batter. 

Roughly  speaking,  we  will  consider  two 
"stages,"  although  the  game  is  subdivided  into 
many  more  by  the  smart  Big  League  manager. 
One  "stage"  is  when  the  score  is  close,  and  the 
other  when  a  large  margin  separates  the  two 
opposing  clubs.  If  the  score  is  close  and  your 


142  HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

club  is  leading  by  a  single  run,  say,  you  must 
take  every  chance  to  add  to  this  lead  so  you 
will  be  safer.  One  run  is  of  immense  value  to 
your  team  then.  It  will  double  your  lead. 
Play  what  we  Big  Leaguers  call  a  close  game. 

Suppose  the  first  batter  in  the  inning  gets  on 
base.  Order  the  next  hitter  to  sacrifice  so  the 
first  one  can  reach  second,  from  where  a  hit 
will  score  him.  You  are  figuring  on  the  other 
side  playing  the  game  cleanly  in  laying  your 
plans  this  way.  Baseball  is  largely  a  matter 
of  chance  and  probability,  and  it  is  the  man 
who  can  figure  the  chances  closest  and  get  the 
right  answer  the  greatest  number  of  times  who 
is  the  best  leader.  If  you  advance  the  runner 
to  second,  he  has  two  chances  of  scoring  on  a 
clean  hit  because  there  is  only  one  out  when 
he  reaches  the  middle  station. 

Besides  these  chances  on  a  clean  hit,  there 
is  always  the  possibility  of  an  error  which  may 
break  up  the  game.  Seasoned  players  will  tell 
you  that  more  errors  are  made  on  a  bunt  than 
on  any  other  kind  of  a  ball.  The  bunt  must 
be  handled  hastily  and  accurately.  Therefore, 
when  the  batter  is  instructed  to  sacrifice,  which 
means  bunting,  there  is  the  chance  of  the  run- 
ner reaching  third  or  scoring  on  a  fumble  or 
bad  throw.  He  is  sure  of  second.  A  lead  of 


TEAM   WORK  143 

two  runs  is  fairly  safe  in  the  Big  League,  be- 
cause then  you  have  time  to  see  a  storm  com- 
ing and  yank  your  pitcher  before  the  score  is 
tied. 

But  if  circumstances  have  convinced  you 
that  the  bunt  is  not  the  play  at  this  time  be- 
cause the  opposing  club  is  looking  for  it,  or 
for  some  other  reason,  you  might  try  the  hit 
and  run.  This  is  a  more  open  game  and  has 
been  worked  successfully  by  my  club  for  the 
past  two  seasons.  It  is  a  great  play  when  it 
succeeds,  but  it  makes  a  club  look  foolish  when 
it  fails.  Each  batter  has  some  simple  hit  and 
run  sign  that  all  the  other  men  on  the  club 
know.  The  hitter  passes  this  to  the  base-run- 
ner, and  the  latter  should  signify  by  some  re- 
turn signal  that  he  has  caught  the  sign  and 
understands  it.  A  great  deal  of  jockeying 
helps  this  play.  The  batter  must  hit  at  the 
next  ball,  no  matter  where  it  comes,  after  he 
gives  his  sign,  because  the  base-runner  is 
going  to  start  with  the  pitch,  and  he  will  be 
made  to  look  foolish  by  the  ease  with  which 
he  is  tagged  out  at  second  if  the  batter  fails 
to  connect.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  sign 
for  the  play  should  be  carefully  concealed.  If 
the  opposing  club  is  tipped  off  and  expects  it, 
there  is  no  trouble  about  breaking  up  the  hit 


144   HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

and  run  with  a  pitch-out,  thus  catching  the 
base-runner  easily  at  second. 

If  a  man  can  get  on  first  base  and  make  be- 
lieve he  is  going  to  attempt  to  steal  so  the 
catcher  will  order  a  couple  of  pitch-outs  and 
get  the  twirler  in  the  hole,  the  hit  and  run  play 
will  work  out  more  successfully,  because  then 
the  pitcher  has  to  put  the  ball  over  the  plate 
and  the  batter  will  have  his  chance  to  hit  at  it. 
The  hit  and  run  play  is  more  appropriate  in 
an  open  game  when  a  manager  desires  to  take 
a  longer  chance.  If  the  club  is  two  or  three 
runs  behind,  or  leading  by  a  safe  margin,  I 
would  advise  it  rather  than  when  the  game  is 
very  close.  There  is  less  chance  of  its  going 
through  than  the  sacrifice,  because  the  batter 
must  first  connect  with  the  ball  and,  second, 
hit  it  on  the  ground,  but  the  returns  are  bigger 
when  it  is  successful.  If  he  drives  a  fly  to  the 
infield,  the  runner  has  naturally  taken  such  a 
long  start  off  first  base  he  will  be  doubled  up 
unless  it  is  a  very  high  pop  fly.  The  batter 
should  try  to  hit  behind  the  runner,  too,  the 
trick  I  mentioned  in  the  article  on  batting. 
The  whole  purpose  of  the  play  is  to  catch  the 
opposing  team  off  its  guard  and  pick  up  a 
flying  start  for  the  base-runner,  who  gets  in 
motion  when  the  pitcher  begins  his  delivery. 


TEAM   WORK  145 

It  takes  clever  men  to  work  this  play  and  get 
away  with  it.  The  sacrifice  is  safer  when  the 
game  is  close.  But  if  the  batter  can  make  a 
single  on  the  hit  and  run,  the  runner  on  first 
will  reach  third  and  possibly  score.  The 
chances  of  getting  a  safe  hit  are  increased  be- 
cause the  infield  is  pulled  all  out  of  shape  by 
the  premature  start  of  the  runner.  (Ill  No. 
30.) 

Now,  if  you  are  behind  by  a  big  margin,  the 
club  should  take  more  chances.  Suppose  your 
opponents  have  a  lead  of  five  runs,  one  will 
do  you  no  good.  Never  sacrifice  under  these 
circumstances,  but  take  longer  shots  for  big- 
ger stakes.  This  is  a  desperate  "stage."  Take 
every  chance  in  the  hope  that  you  can  rush 
your  opponents  off  their  feet.  Once  you  get 
them  going,  often  five  or  six  runs  may  be  piled 
up  in  an  inning  before  they  can  stop  you. 
That  is  the  only  way  to  overcome  a  big  lead — 
by  a  sudden  rally.  Instruct  your  batters  to 
hit  it  out.  Send  men  home  from  third  if  there 
is  the  slightest  chance  of  their  scoring.  Run 
wild  on  the  bases  in  the  hope  that  the  other 
team  will  get  throwing  around  and  go  up  in 
the  air. 

There  are  various  "stages"  of  a  game  when 
it  is  foolish  to  try  to  steal  a  base.  Again,  the 


146   HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

attempt  is  imperative.  If  you  have  a  lead  of 
one  run  or  need  a  run  to  tie,  or  if  one  run  is 
going  to  make  a  whole  lot  of  difference  to  your 
team  and  a  man  reaches  first  with  none  out,  he 
should  not  try  to  steal.  It  is  too  big  a  risk 
at  that  "stage."  But  suppose,  under  the  same 
pressing  need  of  one  run,  a  player  arrives  at 
first  with  two  out.  He  cannot  score  from  first 
base  if  the  batter  makes  a  single,  but  he  prob- 
ably can  from  second.  Therefore,  his  object 
is  to  reach  second  as  soon  as  possible.  Let  him 
steal  at  the  earliest  opportunity  when  he  has 
any  chance  at  all  of  success.  If  he  thinks  the 
twirler  is  playing  for  him  and  is  going  to  pitch 
out  on  the  first  ball,  it  would  be  ridiculous  to 
try  to  steal.  A  man  must  use  his  individual 
judgment  under  those  circumstances.  But  get 
down  there  on  second,  and  you  are  then  in  a 
position  to  score  on  a  hit.  It  takes  speed  and 
wits  to  do  it. 

A  great  scheme  in  planning  the  attack  of  a 
/ball  club  is  to  search  for  the  opposing  team's 
weakness.  Most  of  them  have  one.  If  you 
find  that  their  pitcher  is  wild,  send  every  man 
to  the  bat  with  orders  to  take  two  called  strikes 
before  swinging  at  the  ball.  This  is  called 
"waiting  a  man  out."  If  it  fails  to  succeed 
because  the  pitcher  does  not  lose  control,  shift 


TEAM   WORK  147 

suddenly  after  the  twirler  has  begun  to  believe 
he  can  slip  the  first  two  balls  over  the  plate 
without  any  danger,  he  having  discovered  your 
waiting  tactics,  as  he  would.  Tell  your  men 
to  hit  the  first  ball.  Never  stick  to  one  system 
if  it  is  not  winning  for  you. 

The  infield,  with  the  catcher,  plays  the  most 
important  part  in  defensive  team  work.  Sup- 
pose we  consider  some  specific  plays.  The 
destroying  of  the  double  steal  is  a  big  prob- 
lem on  the  defense.  It  can  be  worked  by 
outguessing  the  other  side,  and  it  can  be 
broken  up  by  outwitting  your  opponents.  I 
would  not  advise  selecting  any  one  system  for 
attacking  the  double  steal  and  sticking  to  it 
unwaveringly.  Of  course,  I  expect  that  all 
my  readers  know  I  refer  to  that  delicate  sit- 
uation in  a  ball  game  when  there  is  a  man 
on  first  base  and  one  on  third.  If  the 
catcher  throws  the  ball  to  second,  there  is  grave 
danger  of  the  runner  on  third  coming  home. 
Yet  if  no  effort  is  made  to  get  the  man  going 
to  second,  you  will  lose  too  many  runs  in  a 
season  to  attain  any  success.  You  will  find 
that  in  game  after  game  runs  have  been  scored 
because  that  extra  man  got  to  second  when 
these  tallies  would  never  have  been  counted  if 
he  had  been  held  on  first  base. 


148  HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 


I  would  recommend  to  young  teams  that 
they  try  to  break  up  the  double  steal  by  the 
short  throw  as  a  regular  thing.  This  requires 
much  accuracy  to  work  it  successfully.  The 
shortstop  or  second  baseman  runs  over  behind 
the  pitcher,  standing  about  twenty  feet  di- 
rectly in  front  of  second  base  when  he  sees 
the  man  on  first  start  for  second.  The  catcher 
drives  the  ball  to  him.  If  the  man  on  third 
breaks  for  home,  it  is  up  to  him  to  throw  back 
to  the  catcher,  but  if  he  sticks  to  third,  he  can 
turn  and  toss  to  the  player  covering  second  in 
time  to  get  the  runner  coming  to  second.  If 
this  player  is  smart,  he  will  retrace  his  tracks 
toward  first  so  that  the  ball  gets  in  motion  in 
the  resultant  effort  to  run  him  down,  and  then 
the  runner  on  third  will  dig  for  home  when  he 
sees  a  good  chance. 

Other  methods  of  attacking  the  double  steal, 
which  should  be  employed  frequently  by  way 
of  variety  to  "cross"  the  opposing  team,  are 
for  the  catcher  to  throw  directly  either  to  the 
pitcher  or  third  baseman.  If  a  smart  catcher 
will  study  closely  the  styles  and  weaknesses  of 
base-runners,  he  can  tell  the  men  he  will  get 
away  from  third  base  on  this  trick.  It  is 
worked  as  follows : 

the  catcher  gets  the  ball,  he  makes  a 


TEAM   WORK  149 

bluff  motion  toward  second,  as  if  to  throw,  but 
does  not  let  go  of  the  ball.  The  runner  on 
third  is  on  his  toes,  and  seeing  this,  starts  for 
home.  Then  the  catcher  shoots  to  the  third 
baseman,  who  tags  the  runner.  You  would  be 
surprised  at  the  number  of  times  the  man  will 
be  caught  away  from  the  bag.  If  the  double 
steal  is  worked  straight,  the  man  on  third  must 
start  for  home  as  soon  as  the  catcher  throws  to 
second  to  have  any  chance  of  success.  There 
are  other  ways  of  working  the  double  steal, 
but  this  is  the  most  common. 

When  the  ball  is  thrown  to  the  pitcher,  he 
can  shoot  it  to  either  second  or  third.  As  he 
whirls,  third  base  comes  into  his  range  of 
vision,  and  if  he  sees  the  runner  has  started 
from  there,  he  can  deliver  the  ball  to  the  third 
baseman.  Of  course,  it  is  best  to  get  the  man 
nearest  home  always.  If  the  runner  has 
hugged  third  base,  he  can  still  throw  to  sec- 
ond with  a  chance  of  getting  the  man  going 
there. 

Some  leaders  recommend  drawing  their  in- 
fields in  to  make  the  play  at  the  plate  when- 
ever a  man  is  on  third  base  and  another  on 
first,  with  less  than  two  out.  I  prefer  trying 
for  the  double  play  unless  the  game  is  very 
close.  Of  course,  if  none  are  out,  with  men  on 


150  HOW  TO  PLAY  BASEBALL 

first  and  third,  you've  got  to  draw  the  infield 
in  for  the  play  at  the  plate  or  sacrifice  a  run. 
Or,  if  there  is  no  one  on  first,  and  a  man  on 
third,  and  less  than  two  out,  it  is  again  neces- 
sary to  bring  the  infield  in  for  the  play  at  the 
plate.  But  with  men  on  first  and  third,  with 
one  out,  I  prefer  to  try  to  retire  the  side  on 
the  double  play  unless  the  batter  is  very  fast. 
There  is  not  so  much  chance  with  the  infield 
playing  back  of  a  ball  going  through  for  extra 
bases.  Of  course,  there  arise  situations  when 
it  is  best  tot  make  the  play  at  the  plate.  There 
are  none  of  these  finer  situations  about  which 
a  hard  and  fast  rule  can  be  laid  down.  The 
best  I  can  do  is  suggest  the  most  likely  way. 

With  men  on  first  and  second  bases  and  less 
than  two  out,  I  would  advise  that  the  first 
baseman  move  out  of  his  position  about  twenty 
feet  down  the  line,  toward  the  home  plate,  pre- 
pared for  a  bunt.  He  should  play  this  bunt 
to  third  if  he  fields  it,  where  the  runner  is 
forced.  If  he  sees  it  is  too  late  to  make  the 
play  there,  he  can  still  toss  the  ball  to  first  to 
the  second  baseman  who  is  covering.  The 
pitcher  should  make  this  play  in  the  same  way. 
There  is  one  infallible  rule  to  follow  on  the 
defense.  Get  the  man  nearest  the  plate  if 
possible.  In  this  way  you  save  runs.  With 


TEAM   WORK  151 

two  out,  always  make  the  easiest  and  surest 
play. 

Infielders  must  remember  to  help  other  in- 
fielders.  For  instance,  the  third  baseman 
shifts  over  slightly  to  cover  up  the  hole  left 
by  the  shortstop  when  the  latter  moves  in  pre- 
paring to  cover  second  base  to  get  a  man  steal- 
ing. Bear  in  mind  you  are  not  nailed  fast  to 
one  place  when  playing  ball  and  are  expected 
to  move  around  to  meet  emergencies. 

A  complete  system  of  signals  should  be  ar- 
ranged by  the  boss  of  the  team,  and  every  man 
should  have  these  by  heart.  Do  not  make  the 
code  too  complicated.  There  are  the  defensive 
and  offensive  signs.  These  include  the  bat- 
tery, base  running  and  fielding  signs.  The 
leader  should  be  able  to  signal  a  base-runner 
when  to  steal,  and  you  must  have  the  signal 
for  the  hit  and  run.  Every  ball  club  should 
have  a  fixed  rule  about  the  attitude  of  the 
players  toward  the  umpires.  They  should  be 
treated  courteously,  protests  being  made  only 
on  a  point  of  the  rules. 


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